Flower of Life
by Tsunami Storm
Summary: The mysterious Princess of Egypt finally reveals her story. Meet Hana Itonami.
1. Bloom

Hi there, Fan Fiction . net! It's me, Hana Itonami. I just thought you would like to read my story. Where I came from. So, this is it. Please be nice. Read, Enjoy, and Review!

_**Disclaimer:**_ Neither I nor my author own the original characters created by Kazuki Takahashi. The only thing she owns is me. (and a few other minor, unnamed OC's.)

* * *

"_**Okay, milady. You're doing fine. Now, **push**..."**_

"_**Waaaah! Waaaah! Waaaah!"**_

"_**Congratulations, madam. It is a girl!" **_the elderly midwife declared, patting the mother's hand fondly. Then she took a clean linen and began to clean off the baby's face and body, wiping away the blood and various other fluids from the mother's womb. After she was done, she helped the tired mother to sit up, then handed the newborn to her, being careful of its head. The mother's eyes sparkled with wonder as she gazed upon her beautiful, tiny daughter, whose own eyes were closed in sleep, tired after crying so loudly.

"_**If only my husband were here to see this wonderful gift from the Gods..."**_ the young mother sighed mournfully and weakly, exhausted after the birth. She closed her eyes, then silently thanked the Goddess Isis for her beautiful daughter, and prayed to Osiris to guide her husband's soul safely to the Field of Reeds, his final resting place. He had been killed months before in a battle with rogues and deserters. Victory had smiled upon the royal army, but the young mother had lost.

"_**What name will you give your child, my lady?" **_the grandmotherly midwife asked, gazing at the mother and child, the most beautiful part of her job.

"_**I shall call her name... Hana. May her life be full of happiness, to counter all the sadness in this world..."**_ the woman breathed, a smile on her lips as she leaned back against the wall. The midwife gently took the sleeping newborn and placed her in the nearby cradle, to prevent injury as both mother and child slept.

* * *

Two years later...

"_**Take this... pendant, my child, and hold it close... to your heart... always. Your father made this... years ago... in the hope that the Gods... would bless us with a daughter. May... it... protect... you..."**_

Those were the last words that two-year-old Hana heard from her dying mother. She took the small gold cartouche in her hand, then slipped the chain over her head. The pendant hanging from her neck sparkled faintly in the dim light, the hieroglyphics depicting her name with jewels of lapis lazuli. Some time later, the midwife, who had been present at her birth, took the child from her mother's deathbed and instructed the wide-eyed toddler to journey with her to the palace city, where her home was located. The child nodded solemnly, then followed her caretaker out of the house and town of her birth, and into the wilds of the desert.

After three days and nights of walking through the realm of Set, the old midwife was faint and frail from hunger and thirst. Hana could see the palace city in the distance, and Ra was setting behind them, so his golden rays illuminated the city as if it were gilded in gold. Giving the child the last drops of water in its skin, the old woman instructed Hana to continue on to the city alone, as she could go no further.

Hana tried to help, but she wasn't strong enough to carry the old woman. So the child journeyed on alone, shuffling and stumbling through the city, her green eyes dim from thirst and hunger. Finally, the heat and strain became too much for her small body, and she collapsed from exhaustion. What she didn't know was that she had inadvertently stumbled into the palace gates, and had lost consciousness just outside the palace doors.

Pharaoh Akunumkanon had just awoken in the middle of the night, feeling that something was wrong inside his palace. He quietly walked through the halls of his magnificent palace, the home of his fathers for many generations, searching for the cause of this feeling of uneasiness. In the adjoining room, his son Atem slept peacefully, oblivious to the events of the night around him. As he passed through the various halls, he nodded to the guards that he passed, carrying out their nighttime duty to protect their king. He came to the giant stone palace door, and the heavy portal opened before him.

At his feet lay an unconscious two-year-old girl, her brown hair dancing gently in the night breeze, and her necklace glimmering in the light of the full moon. Akunumkanon smiled at the sleeping toddler, who was oblivious as to where she was and who was with her. As gently as he could, the king picked up the child and carried her to a small room next to Atem's. _**"I know not from whence you came, little one, but you shall rest peacefully and in safety here tonight. The Gods work in mysterious ways. If it is their divine will that I be blessed with a daughter **__and__** a son, then so be it,"**_ he whispered softly to the child, who moved her head slightly and smiled in her sleep as he laid her on the bed. And so the child slept, not aware that she had been essentially adopted by the most powerful man in Egypt.

* * *

Four years later...

"_**Race you to the throne room, slowpoke!"**_ I called back to my younger brother, who was trailing behind as he looked at the various hieroglyphs on the wall. **_"Wait up, Hana! I'm not as fast as you!"_** Atem called back, breathing hard and trying to catch up to me. We tore through the hallways, dodging vases and columns that lined the walls of the corridors. Occasionally, we passed a court scribe or tutor, reviewing his or her scrolls that they were constantly carrying. Eventually Atem and I slid into the front of the throne room, where our father was in the middle of a meeting with the other six Millennium guardians. We froze in our tracks, conveniently hidden behind a large column, then tiptoed through the room to the doorway on the other side. The guardian of the Millennium Necklace noticed us, but she simply smiled and shook her head, then turned her attention back to the meeting. I grinned sheepishly when I noticed that we had been caught, and Atem smirked as well. However, we soon forgot our brief intrusion, and continued on through the palace as if nothing had happened.

Later, after the meeting was over, Atem was taken aside by one of his plethora of tutors, and I was led out to the palace courtyards to learn a new technique in the mystical arts. The guardian of the Millennium Ring was a strict instructor, and I found myself hard-pressed to master the basic spell that I was assigned to learn that day. The teaching assistant, an older student that showed a talent for magic, helped the guardian by walking among the younger students, making sure the beginner spellcasters were performing their spells correctly. When he came to me, the mage whispered, _**"Try asking Thoth to guide you. That always works for me."**_ I tried it, and almost immediately a flower sprang from the sand hill wherein I had planted a seed. I gasped in wonder and turned to thank the magician, but he had already moved on to another struggling student. The rest of the instruction went fairly smoothly after that, but the young spellcasters were still assigned an armful of spell scrolls to memorize.

Sigh. _**"Homework never ends, does it?"**_I complained to myself as I shuffled to my room that evening._** "You think **__you've__** got it bad..."**_ Atem groused beside me, carrying at least three times as many scrolls as I was. _**"Well, at least we're allowed to help each other with these assignments."**_ the young prince allowed, dumping his mountain of reading material on my bed as I did the same._** "Right.**_"I laughed, agreeing with my little brother. Then we both picked up our scrolls from our respective magic lessons and began quizzing each other on the various spells.

"_**So, how are the studies going, my son?"**_ Akunumkanon queried, stepping into my room a few hours later. Atem looked up from the scroll he was attempting to memorize and smiled at the current pharaoh of Egypt. **_"It's easier with Hana helping me,"_** he admitted, grinning at his sister, and I grinned back. _**"Though I don't know **how** I'm going to memorize all these scrolls by **tomorrow**."**_ the prince sighed, discarding the scroll he had been studying and picking up another from the pile.

"_**Do not worry, my son. You have been blessed with great intelligence and understanding by the Gods. You will learn."**_ Akunumkanon encouraged. **_"In fact, I have come to help you with your studies."_** The pharaoh turned to the side and gestured behind him, revealing a boy of about thirteen that was standing behind him. _**"This is Mahaad. He is a very proficient Dark Magic student, and has agreed to help you two with your spell work."**_ Mahaad bowed respectfully in greeting, and I recognized him as the older student who had helped me earlier that day in my magic lesson. As a parting comment, Akunumkanon cautioned, **_"Don't stay up too late, you three. The morning assembly begins as Ra rises."_**

"_**Okay Father."**_ Atem promised, clearing a space on the bed so that Mahaad could join us. Then I picked up one of my brother's scrolls and started reading the spells aloud, so that Atem would know the correct pronunciation of the various characters. Occasionally I would make a mistake, and Mahaad would kindly correct me and quiz us both until we got it right. Hours later, we finally finished memorizing the plethora of spells, and had practiced casting the simpler ones, to prepare for the next lesson. Mahaad quietly returned to his quarters, and Atem crossed the hallway to his own room. I carefully re-rolled all the scrolls, then put them in a scroll shelf that the royal carpenter had crafted for me. Then I climbed in bed to sleep until Ra returned to the sky.

* * *

One year later...

_**"Prince! You who will become Pharaoh can't..."**_ Mahaad protested as Atem put his mouth to his friend's arm and attempted to remove the poison from the snakebite. Atem glared at him stubbornly and answered, **_"What difference is there between you and me? Red blood flows in your veins, and the same red blood flows in mine. We are the same, right?"_**

Mana was crying at the thought of her friend being poisoned, fearful that he could die. Mahaad looked at the prince in shock, amazed that a six-year-old could be so wise. _**"Prince..."**_

**_"One day, a world will come when everybody would be able to live freely without any social distinction. I promise you I'll build that world."_** Atem smiled, putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. The boy continued to glower at his future king. _**"You **still** needn't have done that."**_ he argued.

Atem glared back. **_"You were bit by a snake and _**_I__** was getting the poison out! If it were the other way around, you would do the same for me, and do you know why? Because we are **friends**."**_

Mahaad relented, answering, **_"Yes we are."_**

"_**And some day, when I become Pharaoh, I know you will be standing right there by my side, Mahaad. I would not have it any other way."**_ the young prince if in answer, Mahaad stood to his feet and smiled at the future king. He kept a hand over his arm, as it still stung a bit, but none of the snake's venom remained in the wound.

* * *

Unnoticed by all, the serpent slithered off from the three humans, eager to escape and to avoid being stepped on. It slid silently away from the royal gardens and to the royal courtyard, where the young seven-year-old princess was brushing her new filly, a gift from her father for her birthday. The young horse was a beautiful Arabian, with a sleek, jet black coat, ebony mane and tail, and dark blue eyes. I bent down and gently squeezed the horse's leg near it's hoof, and the animal dutifully lifted its leg up so that I could clean out its hoof with a stick, to remove all the caked-on sand and debris. After I was done with its hooves, I began weaving the horse's mane and tail into neat and artful braids, both so that it would look nice and to keep the hair out of the horse's and my eyes when we rode.

_**"There you go, girl."**_ I sighed, stroking the young filly's neck affectionately, oblivious to the serpent that was inching ever closer to where I was standing. **_"All nice and neat. I bet that feels better, right? Now you can feel this nice cool breeze on your neck."_** I closed my eyes and sighed in contentment, enjoying the cool air as it danced past me, blowing my long brown hair back and ruffling the bottom of my dress.

Suddenly I heard a faint hissing noise from somewhere just behind me. The filly noticed the snake before I did, and it bolted away from the creature and stopped at the edge of the courtyard, knowing that asps were very dangerous. I screamed in surprise and in fright, just as the snake was rearing back and preparing to strike. I knew that I'd never be able to back away in time, and shut my eyes tight and braced myself for the sharp pain on my leg that I knew was coming.

It never came. Just before the serpent struck, a streak of white flashed before me and growled, taking the snake with it as it disappeared. I cocked my head in confusion, wondering,_ What in the world was _that_? _I looked over to my left, and started when I spotted a very peculiar sight. A pure-white cat had attacked the snake just before it was able to bite me, and now had the scaly creature in between its sharp teeth, dead. I saw a bit of red blood just behind its head, and I gaped at the brave feline, hardly believing the sight before my very eyes.

The cat studied me for a moment, then, deciding that I wasn't a threat, slinked over to me and deposited the limp body of the snake right at my feet and meowed. I smiled. That was the cutest meow I had ever heard. I slowly crouched down and offered my hand for the cat to sniff. When it did, I carefully stroked the cat's head and back, a silent thank-you for what the brave cat had done for me. The cat started to purr, enjoying the attention and rubbing its head into my hand.

Something seemed off about the purring feline, though. I couldn't place it immediately, but when the cat laid down suddenly with a pained expression, I guessed what was the matter. The cat's stomach was quite a bit larger than normal. That could only mean one thing. _**"You mean you were going to have kittens any time now and you **still** saved me from that snake?"**_ I asked the cat incredulously, hardly believing the bravery of the pregnant mother. The cat merely looked up at me with its light blue eyes and gave a strained meow. I quickly fetched my horse's saddle-blanket, which was laying nearby, and folded it into a makeshift nest for her. The cat slowly got to her feet and slinked over to the bed, laying down in the center of it to give birth to her kittens.

* * *

Half an hour later, four tiny kittens were happily snuggled up with their mother, having been cleaned off and fed, and now were fast asleep. Mana, Mahaad, and my little brother had joined me at this point, and we were all smiling down at the litter of kittens. _**"Aww,"**_ Mana cooed. **_"They're so cuuute!"_** I heartily agreed with her, and Atem smiled and stroked the mother's back, thankful that the feline had saved his sister.

_**"What will you name it, princess?"**_ Mahaad asked gently and quietly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping kittens. After all, cats were considered sacred, the chosen animal of the Goddess Bastet. This cat was even more special, as she had risked her life to save me from an asp, and that she was due to give birth on top of it.

**_"I think I'll call her 'Bastet', because the Goddess has smiled upon her and blessed her with four healthy little ones. This cat and her kittens are now part of the royal family. Bastet shall have only the finest. After all, she _**_did__** save my life."**_ I declared, and the other three nodded in approval. Now I had six beautiful pets, four of which were little more than different-colored balls of fluff. One was black, like my horse, but with a tiny white spot of fur on its belly. One was sand-colored, like the desert, one orange, like the morning sun, and the last was a combination of all the cats, including the mother: white, black, tan and orange.

**_"I wonder what their father looked like,"_** Mana commented, studying the kittens and smiling at how cute they were. I had to agree with her. They were_ adorable_. _**"I mean, they look nothing like their mother. How did **that** happen?"**_

**_"Beats me."_** I shrugged, not knowing much about feline genetics. _**"My guess is that he probably looked like that multicolored one, and that the others look like either their mother's ancestors or their father's."**_

**_"Good guess, my princess."_** Isis commented, walking up behind us. She was about Mahaad's age, around fourteen, and was apprenticed to the current Guardian of the Millennium Necklace, to take over her position when she passed on to the afterlife. Of all the prospective new 'Guardians', I think I liked Isis the best. She was kind, compassionate, strong, and blessed with great intelligence. The Guardian could sense that Isis was gifted with the power of foresight, as well as unparalleled knowledge of the events of the past. She knew that when Isis would be chosen by the Sacred Item, that these abilities would only increase, fueled by both the young woman's natural magic and the power of the Sennen Necklace.

We all jumped a bit when the future Guardian spoke, having not heard her approach. Mana, Atem and I laughed a little when we saw who our visitor was, but Mahaad blushed and looked back down at the family of cats, embarrassed that he had been taken by surprise. Isis smiled at each of us in turn, her cheeks turning a bit redder when she turned to Mahaad. He nodded politely in greeting, then muttered something about practicing one of his spells and walked off, his face as red as a pomegranate. I shot a knowing look at Mana, and she blurted, _**"Hang on, do Isis and Mahaad... **like** each other?"**_

I smirked at her as Isis blushed again, and Atem chuckled a little. **_"I would have thought that was obvious, judging by how awkward they act in each other's presence!"_** I teased, grinning mischievously at Isis and receiving a playful shove from the flustered teenager. _**"Oh, hush."**_ she answered, going even redder. **_"We're just friends, that's all."_**

"Riiight."

Mana, Atem and I all replied at the same time, not believing it for a minute. Then we all laughed and entered the palace to tell father what had happened.

Two years later...

* * *

"_**Yeah, you're a good girl, Bastet. Good girl!"**_ I praised as I stroked my cat's back affectionately, praise for catching another filthy rat that had snuck into the kitchens. Bastet purred happily, enjoying the attention and praise, then left to dispose of the dead rat in her mouth. I watched her go, happy that Father had let me keep her and her four kittens. They had certainly earned their keep, keeping the palace free of rodents and snakes. I couldn't decide who was better at it: the three females or the two males. Generally, females were the better hunters in the animal world, but Bastet's kittens were pretty evenly matched.

The black kitten, Obsidian, was as gentle as could be when it came to humans, and was the most affectionate and tolerant of the bunch. His brother Set, on the other paw, was the most troublesome of the bunch. Atem had named that kitten as a joke, but it proved to be quite apt as he was certainly living up to his namesake, in the color of his coat and in his personality. Not a day went by when that kitten wouldn't get into _some_ kind of mischief. Of course, Atem thought it was hilarious, but I don't think some of the servants shared his opinion.

The girls were calm and quiet, just like their mother. Hatshepsut, the orange-colored one, spent most of her day laying on my couch, sunning herself and snoozing until Ra entered the underworld. Then, she would disappear to go hunt. Cleopatra, the calico, would play around with her brother Set sometimes, but she could most often be found near the Nile, trying to catch frogs where we kids would swim. They all loved to be petted, and most of the palace inhabitants would willingly oblige. Except for three of the Guardians.

I don't know why, but I always got a bad feeling when three of the Millennium Guardians would pass me in the halls. They wouldn't say anything, or do anything suspicious, but I could just tell. Especially the keeper of the Millennium Rod. I didn't need the Ring to sense the darkness inside this man. When he would talk with my father in my presence, I could always feel the dark power of the shadows, as if they were slowly choking me. This feeling was present with two of the other Guardians as well, but none more so than this man. The keepers of the Eye, Key, and Necklace were all fine, people that I trusted, that I looked up to. And of course my father, keeper of the Puzzle. But the other three, Mahaad's teacher and the Guardians of the Scales and the Rod... I couldn't bring myself to trust them. And this feeling only intensified over time.

Like the time that one of the royal guard dogs escaped from its post, where it had been tethered, and ran straight to my brother's room, licking him in the face until he woke up. I had been sleeping in the same room that night, as we had stayed up late to finish our studies. He had helped me move my couch into his chambers, and we'd stayed up past midnight to finish memorizing our spell scrolls. The dog had licked me awake first, and I spent a good ten minutes removing the doggy slobber. I laughed as my brother got the same treatment, and was still laughing when one of the guards ran in and apologized profusely for the unexpected wake-up call. Atem wiped off his face and assured the stricken guard that no harm had been done, then knelt down beside the dog and scratched it behind the ears, much to the canine's pleasure.

Later that afternoon, the Guardians had wanted to have the animal destroyed, falsely accusing it of being dangerous. Father, however, disagreed, and managed to convince them to spare it. The servant who was charged with handling the dogs, however, was dismissed from the palace. From that point on, my trust in those three Guardians dwindled, and eventually disappeared altogether. There was some good to all of this though. I didn't trust the current Guardians, but two of their chosen successors were both good friends of mine, Karim and Mahaad. They both had a strong sense of justice, and I knew that they would not easily be corrupted by the shadow powers of their Millennium Items. But what would become of the Millennium Rod?

* * *

End of chapter 1

Well, there's chapter 1. Hope you guys liked it.

I don't really know what else to say for these 'Author's Comments', so... that's pretty much it.

Until next time!

Hana Itonami

Next chapter teaser: Blight

Author: For those of you who have read my other stories, especially 'Brothers in Time', you might find that Bastet seems a little familiar. Hmm... I wonder why that could be? Tee-Hee!

I've always suspected that Mahaad and Isis had feelings for each other (Pleashipping), ever since I watched season 5 for the first time on 4Kids, when it first aired. Long time ago. So that's the ship I'll be sailing in this story. Oh, and Mizushipping (Seth and Kisara), but that comes later.

Okay. THAT's all for now. Bye!

Tsunami Storm


	2. Blight

Well, here's chapter 2. Hope you like it!

* * *

Seven years later...

"_**Please, don't! He's innocent! I command you to release him at once!"**_ I cried, wrestling with the palace guards that kept me in my place during the Millennium Trial. **_"You've got the wrong man! Let him go!"_** I sobbed, fearful for the fate of the young man I had grown fond of. He was not guilty of anything! _I_ was the one to blame! _**"Let him go! Akhen! Father, please!"**_

Pharaoh Akunumkanon would not even _look_ at me, but commanded my handmaidens to accompany me to my chambers. In other words, to imprison me while an innocent young man was condemned to a fate worse than death. A Millennium Trial always ends in the same way for the accused: an eternity in the Shadow Realm. His ka, or spirit monster, would be forcibly extracted and imprisoned in stone, and the sentenced would be sent to the palace dungeons. Oh, they would _say_ it was only for a few days, for the guilty to have a chance to repent of their ways, but I knew better. Those sentenced, guilty or innocent, were never seen again. Without his ka, a normal man can live for only three days at most. Then his soul is taken by the Shadow Realm.

The guards who stand at my door have hearts of stone, and move not one inch from their post as I sob into my couch. They feel no sympathy for me or the boy who had been my friend, who was by now having his very _soul_ ripped from him. I must say, I don't envy the keeper of the Millennium Rod. It is he who tears the ka from the accused and imprisons it within a tablet. However, nor do I pity him. He is just like the palace guards. Compassionless. Heartless. If I didn't know better, I would say that the Shadow powers of the Sennen Items had conquered _him_, and not the other way around.

"_**Princess,"**_ one of the guards grunted without turning his head or even acknowledging me with his eyes. **_"It is done."_**

And with those three words, I knew that I would carry this guilt for the rest of my life. The knowledge that I had condemned an innocent man to the deepest darkness for all eternity. His blood would forever be on my conscience. And on my hands. I could never cleanse myself of this crimson stain, no matter how many times I wash in the sacred Nile, giver of life.

I quickly dried my eyes so Father would not see the mess I had made of my kohl, then adjusted my veil over my face and walked to the throne room, not even sparing a glance back at the stone-faced, stone-hearted guards. As I passed the daïs, I saw my little brother looking at the stone slab with an odd expression. A strange mix of curiosity, sadness, intrigue, and disapproval. So, he too had not agreed with Akhen's fate. But it was too late now. I spotted master Mahaad as he ordered some servants to remove the tablet from the throne room and bring it to the spellcaster training grounds, for the magicians-in-training to practice on. Well, at least _some_ good would come of this tragedy. No one would get hurt when this particular Shadow Creature was released. 'Silent Swordsman' was very nearly human, in his appearance as well as his actions. He would never attack until given permission to do so, and he understood and followed orders to the letter. Just like his equally silent vessel.

Atem acknowledged me with a small smile of greeting and a nod, and I returned the gesture only out of duty. He was the heir to the throne, and I, though the elder sibling, was only of common blood. And a female to boot. I was supposed to show the proper respect to the son of Ra, Horus-incarnate. So, I returned the silent greeting, but with a heavy heart. I passed master Mahaad on my way to the gardens, but did not acknowledge him as he bowed in greeting. How could he condemn an innocent boy to that fate? I know for a fact that the Sennen Ring had not detected any evil in the boy's heart, and yet he... submitted, to the consensus of the stone-hearted Guardians, the five 'protectors' who were little more than puppets of the Shadows.

I did not look at my father, either, as I passed the throne on which he sat. I set my jaw in determined silence and kept my eyes fixed forward, and did not let them turn to the right or to the left as I vacated the palace. I walked to the pristine pond, crossed over to the large fig tree, and picked a fruit from one of its leafy boughs to nibble. Hopefully the sweet taste would somewhat offset the bitterness in my mouth.

"_**Hi, princess Hana! What'cha doing?"**_ a bubbly Mana chirped, her perpetual optimism never failing to brighten all but my darkest moods. **_"That one looks good! You always know which figs are the best on this old tree. What's your secret?"_**

"_**Maybe Renenet likes me."**_ I teased lightly, but my heart wasn't in it.**_ "Nah. There's no secret. I just look for the big, fat, juicy ones. Like that one."_** I pointed to one just above my friend's head, who promptly squeaked with delight and jumped to retrieve the delicious fruit. _**"Thanks!"**_ she huffed happily, flopping down next to me on the grass and taking a small bite. I guess she wanted to savor it for as long as possible.

"_**I'm sorry about Akhen."**_ she whispered, suddenly and abruptly somber, as if someone had just blown out her sunny mood like a candle. **_"You really liked him, didn't you?"_**

I sighed. I really didn't want to talk about this now, but stronger people than me have caved to Mana's infamous puppy-dog eyes, like the ones she was giving me right now. _**"Yeah. I did. And they punished the wrong person. It was **__my__** idea to leave, to explore the marketplace. I just wanted to see how our people live, outside of the palace. Akhen was only protecting me. It's **__my__** fault, not his. Now he's in the Shadow Realm, suffering for my crime."**_

"_**Hana, you've got to tell the Pharaoh about this! You gotta tell him it's all a huge misunderstanding!" **_Mana cried, and the tears in my own eyes threatened to fall and my throat was choking me with my grief. _**"I **__tried__**. They wouldn't listen. No one ever listens to girls around here. Except for **__you__**, maybe. Master Mahaad's always liked you."**_ I sobbed, my tears finally spilling over my eyelids and running down my face. _**"The other Guardians are just a bunch of stubborn, pig-headed old grumps with hearts of stone and ears of wax. They care more about keeping the laws instead of the people those laws were meant to protect:**_ _Our__** people. And Father's just the same. I'm not saying he is stone-hearted, but he doesn't listen either! I tried explaining, but he sent me to my room and **__murdered__** the boy who saved my life. My best friend."**_ I spat, the venom in my words directed at the other Guardians and my stubborn father.

"_**Oh."**_ was all Mana could think to say, and she rubbed my back affectionately as I cried into my knees, soaking my linen dress with my salty tears.

"_**Is **this** how it's going to be, Mana? Will someone else **always** be punished for my mistakes?"**_ I sniffled a while later, my tears finally run dry. **_"I don't know, Hana."_**she replied._** "I really don't know."**_

* * *

I did not speak to my father for a month after the Millennium Trial, and master Mahaad would no longer praise me when I excelled in my magic lessons. I would plead with all of them to release Akhen's spirit from the Shadow Realm, as well as his ka, but the Guardians paid me no heed. Well, almost all of them. I _did_ manage to convince master Shimon, the keeper of the Key, and master Akunadin, keeper of the Eye, but had no such luck with the other four. I was beginning to lose hope.

But I would not give up on Akhen. Not when his fate was my fault. I hatched a plan, trusting no one but myself with it. I would not let _anyone_ else pay for _my_ transgressions. That night, I created a shadow-clone of myself and put it in my bed. A shadow clone can't do much of anything on its own, besides sleep, and I needed all the power I could get. The clone would hold up 'til morning. Hopefully my task would be completed by then.

I sent a short, quiet prayer to Ma'at, that justice would prevail, and Akhen could be free, then I jumped on my horse and rode bareback through the desert. To the spellcaster training grounds. For once, I was glad my horse, Nut, was black. No one could see her at night. My Millennium Shield bounced hard against my back, and my abused vertebrae were protesting, but I ignored the pain. Akhen was in much worse, I was sure of that.

At last we reached the grounds, and I thanked Ra for setting before the servants could seal Akhen's tablet. I summoned all the courage and strength I could muster, then called the ka forth from the tablet. Master Mahaad had always told us that it was dangerous to summon ka without a dia-diank, and now I knew why. My ba was being spent at an incredible rate, and I couldn't maintain this summon for long. Thankfully, I didn't have to.

"_**Silent Swordsman, your master is in the Shadow Realm, and it's my fault. Will you protect him until I secure his release with the Millennium Guardians?"**_ My only answer was a nod, but that was all I needed. The Shadow Creature disappeared from this dimension, and I mounted my steed and rode off to the palace, my home.

Little did I know that the next morning, my life would change forever.

* * *

Two years later...

"_**Princess Hana!"**_ Mahaad called as he ran over to me, his long brown hair and elaborate headdress billowing back over his shoulders. I turned to acknowledge him politely, but my falsely-warm smile faded even as he approached. He was wearing his full ceremonial garb, and that was never a good sign. A ceremony could mean only two things: the crowning of a new pharaoh, which also meant the death of the previous king, or, Osiris forbid...

"_**The king has requested your presence, my princess."**_ Mahaad bowed, his eyes betraying the very truth I dreaded. **_"A royal banquet is to be held, in honor of Prince Rishid's arrival."_**

Ugh. Another suitor. The bane of my teenage existence. Ever since I turned sixteen, suitors from all over the known world have been coming to Egypt to seek my hand in marriage. Not that I'm interested. I mean, if an alliance can be formed between our beloved Egypt and another powerful empire by my marriage, I would get married right here and now. But that's not the case. Father's just trying to take care of me. As usual. Not that I don't appreciate it, but I can take care of myself, thank you very much. I'm as healthy as a horse, sharp as a scimitar, and well-versed in the magical arts. I _really_ wanna be an elite spellcaster, but that's about as likely as Atem getting his hair to lie flat. In other words, not gonna happen.

"_**Princess?"**_ Mahaad asked gently, bringing me out of my amusing musings.

_**"Good morning, master Mahaad."**_ I greeted curtly, barely making eye contact with my magic teacher. He frowned at my less-than-adequate greeting, but then bowed again as if nothing had happened. **_"I and my students will be demonstrating our magical skills for the court and our royal guest. I- _**_we__** would be honored if you would join us for the final act. After all, it **is** one of the spells **you** came up with."**_

My mouth dropped open. I hadn't expected this._** "Really? You- you want **__me__** to participate?"**_ I spluttered, completely flabbergasted.

"_**Of course. Your spell, 'Commencement Dance', will be used to open the ceremony, and it will conclude with your own ritual, 'Performance of Sword'. You will be using false blades, of course, the ones summoned by 'Swords of Revealing Light', but altered using a simple illusion." **_He snapped his fingers, and the little 'Illusion Magician' popped into this dimension. Mahaad winked slyly, and the ka mimicked his action. **_"But the audience need not know of the ruse."_**

"_**I see." **_I said, momentarily forgetting my hostility and anger toward my teacher for what he'd done to my friend, two years ago now.

"_**Do not be nervous. I have every confidence that you will perform flawlessly. Your movements in practice are as fluid and graceful as the water, but as quick and accurate as the bite of an asp. I guarantee Prince Rishid will be thoroughly impressed."**_ Mahaad praised, the first real compliment I'd heard from him in years.

"_**Mahaad, you're forgetting the news she **really** wants to hear." **_Isis chided, placing a gentle hand on the Guardian's shoulder as she appeared suddenly behind him. Mahaad merely smiled and nodded in greeting, but I saw the Illusion Magician jump at least two feet higher and blush furiously when she surprised his master. At least, I _thought_ he was blushing. It's kinda hard to tell when the Shadow Creature's face is shrouded by darkness. _Mahaad must have transferred some of his emotions to his ka. How'd he do _that_? _I wondered silently. But then Isis addressed me directly, and what she said next drove all other thought from my mind.

"_**The Guardians have been talking, and we have come to a decision. It was wrong, what the first Sennen Court did, to that poor boy. You were right. He was innocent. And so, for the first time in Egyptian history, a Millennium Trial will be held, not to convict a criminal, but to release a victim."**_ she told me, and it was all I could do to keep from fainting with joy. I calmly collected myself, then asked, **_"What changed your mind?"_**

"_**Seth and master Akunadin, mostly. You know how they are with justice. I- I also felt... guilty. We acted rashly, all seven of us. We should have gathered all the facts before passing judgement. Will you accept our sincerest apologies?" **_Mahaad asked me, looking quite contrite. Isis was beside him, looking very solemn and sincere herself, even though she had not had anything to do with it.

"_**Don't apologize to **me**. Apologize to **him**. If he's even survived this long."**_I growled, annoyed. _They're not the ones who need to apologize, but the guilty party is all dead._

"_**If he did not, may Osiris grant his soul peace in the afterlife."**_ Mahaad answered, looking solemn. **_"The trial will take place before the feast, and our 'performance' will be the entertainment during the banquet. I think we should show Prince Rishid how the justice system works in our land."_** he winked, and I heartily agreed, all resentment toward my master gone from my heart at this nearly unbelievable news.

"_**I'd... better go change into my ceremonial outfit, then."**_ I mumbled, excusing myself from the presence of the two Guardians, and entered my chambers to prepare for the ritual of illusions.

Just as my handmaidens had finished helping me style my hair in the way I wanted it, a visitor knocked on the lintel of my door, so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. _**"Come in,"**_ I called, and the newest Guardian entered my chambers. **_"Oh. Seth! I- I wasn't expecting to see you."_** I smiled nervously, my stomach suddenly full of butterflies. Seth merely nodded and sat down on the edge of my couch, staring at me as I put the finishing touches on my makeup. _**"You- you look beautiful, princess."**_ he complimented, and my cheeks pinked prettily in response. **_"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself, Seth."_** I teased good-naturedly, winking slyly at his reflection in the mirror. Ever since Seth had joined the Sacred Guardians of the Pharaoh, I had harbored a small crush on the tall, handsome young man. It was clear that my feelings were not mutual, though. He thought of me as a younger sister. Certainly nothing _romantic_ about it.

"_**I just wanted to... wish you luck in the performance later."**_ Seth mumbled, suddenly shy. **_"You'll bring honor to us all. I know it."_**

"_**No pressure."**_ I growled back, and Seth grinned. **_"You'll be fine. I've seen you perform that ritual flawlessly a thousand times in the courtyard. Prince Rishid will be awed by it, make no mistake of that."_**

"_**If I **do** make a mistake, I'll shame my entire family."**_ I agonized, more nervous now than when I started. **_"What about you? This will be your first Millennium Trial of this kind, won't it? Aren't you nervous?"_** I asked him, and he quickly focused his blue eyes on his sandals.

"_**That would be an understatement."**_ he muttered, leaning on his hand and looking at my reflection in the mirror. **_"I have removed many ka from criminals, and imprisoned them in stone, but I have never done the reverse. No one has. I don't- I don't know if I'm strong enough."_** he admitted, hiding his cobalt eyes with his hand.

"_**Seth, that's ridiculous. Everyone knows that you're a genius. You got the highest scores in the history of the Sacred Guardians. Plus, master Mahaad says that you're the strongest spellcaster he's ever seen. And **that's** saying something."**_ I encouraged, smiling at him proudly.**_ "If _**_anyone__** can figure it out, **you** can."**_

"_**He really said that?"**_ Seth asked, surprised. I nodded, then we both walked out the door and through the hallways to the throne room, where the welcoming feast would be held. **_"It's showtime."_** I said to myself as we stepped through the doorway.

* * *

Hours later...

"_**I have never been so insulted!" **_Prince Rishid spat, storming out of the palace in a huff. Master Shimon could be seen bustling around behind him, his royal robes rumpled. **_"L-leaving so... so soon? But- but we've only just begun the traditional ceremonies!"_** he protested.

"_**Good luck marrying **her** off! She may look like a bride, but she'll never bring Egypt honor!"**_ he snarled nastily, attempting to adjust his ruined turban and overly gaudy outfit, now destroyed beyond hope of repair. His stylish cloth shoes _squished_ with every step, making his otherwise impressive exit rather comical. The back of his robes were slashed right down the middle, and although there was not a mark on the man's person, the tear in the cloth was showcasing a rather lovely view of the enraged royal's backside. At least when he rode home, the horse's saddle would hide that part. The front of his extravagant outfit was plastered from head to toe in pomegranate juice, a very hard stain to remove. And believe you me, the prince's face was as red as his ostentatious ensemble now was.

"_**Oh... princess."**_ Shimon huffed, feeling sorry for the mortified young woman, who had fled the throne room after the catastrophic accident. Then he started every one of the kitchen servants on cleaning up the... ahem, _disaster area_ that was the throne room.

Meanwhile said princess, me, was out in the gardens, sobbing as if my heart had burst. I had messed up everything! If only I weren't so utterly clumsy, none of this would have happened! I felt a large, gentle hand on my shoulder, and saw a larger shadow envelop my own as the visitor sat down behind me on the stone wall of the pool.

"_**Hana, what happened in there? You were performing brilliantly. What threw you off?"**_ the young man asked, and instantly I knew who my companion was. It was Seth. The person I most hadn't wanted to witness my utter embarrassment and ultimate shame. But he had, and now I was the laughingstock of the entire kingdom!

"_**You know that creature around the prince's neck that everyone thought was dead?"**_ I asked, sniffing. Seth nodded.**_ "Well, it wasn't. That _**_beast__** got under my feet at the most difficult part of the dance, and I tripped on it. One of my swords went flying toward you guys, along with that... animal. I guess the thing landed in the pomegranate juice and sprayed its master, and the blade sliced through the back of his outfit. I will never be able to live this down. Not even if I live five thousand years!"**_ I wailed, sobbing into my arms again.

"_**I saw that thing, too."**_ Seth growled. **_"It was some kind of weasel or ferret. He was talking to it right before it left and tripped you. I think that scumbag did it on purpose. Just to spite Egypt and the royal family. I guess Ma'at had other plans, huh?"_** Seth laughed, not hiding his opinion of the wannabe suitor in the slightest._** "I didn't like him at all. He had shifty little eyes, just like his pet. And you know what they say: the eyes are the windows to the soul."**_ he added as an afterthought.

"_**Plus he was nearly**_ _twice** my age!"**_I reminded him, and we both shuddered at the same time. Then we laughed at how silly we sounded. _**"You know what? I think that weasel just came here for the lavish banquet and the dowry. He wasn't interested in **me** at all!"**_ I guessed, and Seth bit back a chuckle.

"_**The animal or the prince?"**_ he asked, earning himself a playful shove on the shoulder. Then we both laughed again. I enjoyed the amusing side of the disaster for another moment, but then my countenance fell as I recalled the scene that would be forever burned into my mind: The look on my father's face as I fled the room in disgrace.

"_**What's wrong?" **_Seth asked, ever the concerned big brother. He put an arm around my shoulders as I hid my face again, though this time I shed no tears. _**"It was Father, Seth. Words... cannot describe the **disappointment** in his eyes that I saw as I left. I've forever shamed the family of the Pharaoh, and I can never atone." **_I stated, despair engulfing me like the waves of the sea.

"_**Look at me,**_

_**I will never pass for a perfect bride,**_

_**Or a perfect daughter.**_

_**Can it be**_

_**I'm not meant to play this part?**_

_**Now I see,**_

_**That if I were truly to be myself,**_

_**I would break my family's heart.**_

_**Who is that girl I see,**_

_**Staring straight back at me?**_

_**Why is my reflection someone I don't know?**_

_**Somehow I cannot hide who I am,**_

_**Though I've tried.**_

_**When will my reflection show who I am inside?**_

_**When will my reflection show... who I am... inside..."**_

We were both silent after my song, and for once, Seth had no words of comfort to offer. I recited another song to myself, without the tune, just thinking about how much those words applied to me too.

_If there's so much I must be,_

_Can I still just be me,_

_The way I am?_

_Can I trust in my own heart,_

_Or am I just one part_

_Of some big plan?_

* * *

End of chapter 2

Next chapter teaser: Uprooted

Author: I know, I know. I used some lines from Aladdin and Mulan. Well, parts of them, anyway. Two great Disney movies. But you know what they say: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I'm not claiming any ownership of these movies, you know who they belong to.

This is actually my first 'songfic', so I didn't really know how to do that right. The songs are 'Reflection' from Disney's Mulan, and Kiara's part of 'We Are One', from The Lion King II, Simba's Pride. Again, I claim no ownership of these wonderful movies. They are the property of Disney.

Hana: I think I should probably add some descriptions of some of the gods of Egypt mentioned in these chapters, as some of you readers are most likely not familiar with my religion. [Hana's religion, not the author's, mind you.] So, here they are.

Ba – The strength of the soul. A person's life-energy, if you will.

Bastet – Goddess of protection and perfume. Takes the form of a cat.

Horakhty – Goddess born from the fusion of Osiris, Thoth, and Ra. The creator of light.

Horus – God of the king and vengeance, son of Ra.

Isis – Goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility. Namesake of the guardian of the Millennium Necklace.

Ka – The physical representation of the soul. Appears as some sort of creature, good or bad.

Ma'at – Goddess of truth and justice.

Nut – (pronounced 'Noot') Goddess of night. Also the name of my beautiful mare. XD

Osiris – God of the netherworld and afterlife.

Ra – God of the sun, the bringer of light.

Renenet – Goddess of luck.

Set – God of the desert, chaos, travelers, and destruction. Brother to Osiris.

Thoth – God of learning, magic and wisdom.

Both: See you next time!

Tsunami Storm/Hana Itonami


	3. Uprooted

Chapter 3: Uprooted

* * *

Today was a day of great sadness for the people of Egypt. My father Akunumkanon, the great Pharaoh of Egypt, passed on to the afterlife this day. May Osiris guide his soul through the netherworld and lead him to the Field of Reeds, where he may rest for eternity. I walk with the professional mourners as we follow the funerary procession to the Valley of the Kings, where the Pharaoh's vessel will be laid to rest. After this, a 70-day period of mourning will follow, in which no one in the kingdom will drink wine, eat meat, or perform sacrifices. There shall be a great cry in all of Egypt, such as with the death of the king's predecessor. I myself shall take an oath of celibacy, and protect the Pharaoh-to-be as one of his guardian magicians, as is my duty. I have asked Mahaad to train me in the advanced levels of magic, and he has agreed, albeit grudgingly.

...

For all my sadness over my father's death, there is one who is suffering even more. Atem has grown silent and listless these many weeks of mourning, his unique wine-colored eyes lacking their usual sparkle of light. It's as if on this day that Egypt has lost not one Pharaoh, but two. I pray that this depression will not weaken his indomitable spirit, else he will surely succumb to the shadow powers of the Millennium Puzzle, which would now be his burden to carry, as our father had before him. But the sacred Ceremony of the Items is a month away. By then, may the Gods grant his troubled soul peace, so that he may carry on our father's legacy and rule Egypt in wisdom and understanding.

* * *

One month later...

"_**Princess Hana! Princess Hana!"**_ Shimon called as everyone bustled around in preparation for the ceremony tonight. The period of mourning for our father was over, and now it was time for his son to ascend the throne and take his place as king of Egypt. I poked my head out of my chambers and looked down the corridor, my ceremonial makeup only half-on and my headdress askew. **_"Yes, master Shimon? What is it?"_**

"_**Our new Pharaoh has requested that you perform your two rituals during the banquet this evening. He said that he would like to see how it is **meant** to be performed, as he has never before witnessed the ritual in its entirety. I trust that you will make all the appropriate preparations."**_ the former Guardian bowed before bustling off, his ceremonial robes billowing as he returned to the throne room.

I sighed. _**"Just when I got my hair done just right..."**_ I complained under my breath. This ritual required a totally different appearance than what I would normally wear to a ceremony such as this. I shrugged, acquiescing to the desire of the soon-to-be Pharaoh, and removed my old makeup to replace it with the new. I called in a group of my attendants to help, because there was no way that I could accomplish _this_ look by myself, and in the amount of time I was allotted before the start of the ceremony.

Hours later, the ceremonial Festival of the Pharaohs was well underway, and I had just finished my first spell, 'Commencement Dance'. Everyone had already seen that one, at the banquet for Prince Rishid last year. I just hoped my other ritual would go more smoothly than it did _that_ time. I smiled as I remembered that particular catastrophe, especially how my little brother had reacted to Prince Rishid's fate. And that of his pet. After I had overcome my distress, we'd spent nearly two hours laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. I will say _this_ for my brother: he always knows how to cheer me up.

Soon, it was time for the feast to begin, during which my 'Performance of Sword' ritual would take place. The coronation was to conclude the ceremony. Atem was seated at the head of the table, surrounded by the other six Millennium Guardians. Seth was seated on his right, and Mahaad was on his left. Master Akunadin was next to Seth, and Shada next to him. Isis was on Mahaad's left, and Karim to the left of her. I was supposed to sit next to Karim, after my ritual was completed. I took a deep breath to calm myself, then summoned the 'Swords of Revealing Light' and manipulated them to resemble _real_ swords. I steeled myself, vowing that this performance would not be a repeat of the last time. I looked around, and my eyes finally fell on my little brother's, who was smiling at me encouragingly. I smiled back, just enough so that he could see it, then threw the blades up in the air and began the ritual.

"_**Wow."**_ he whispered when I had sat down, half an hour later. I beamed at him, happy that he was pleased with my presentation. Beside him, Seth nodded, too impressed for words. I blushed at the unspoken praise, then took a piece of bread from a nearby bowl and helped myself.

As the ceremony concluded, and Atem walked up to the dais, I couldn't help but feel a burst of pride for my little brother. Only eighteen years old, and now the most powerful man in all of Egypt. I felt honored that I had been chosen to be a part of his family, being of common blood. As he sat down on the gilded throne, all of the members of the court and all who were present shouted with one accord, _**"Long live the Pharaoh!"**_

Then everyone celebrated. Master Mahaad and his students of the mystical arts performed some of their more impressive spells for entertainment, and I found myself awed by the tremendous skill of my favorite teacher.

* * *

I couldn't believe what was happening. It was only a _week_ ago that my brother was anointed king of Egypt, but it felt like a different lifetime altogether now as the embodiment of pure darkness, Zorc Necrophades, laid waste to our beloved palace city. Four of the seven Millennium Guardians had already fallen to his rampage, my truest friends, and the remaining three, my brother among them, looked like they couldn't hold out much longer. I gasped in horror as Shada tackled my brother out of harm's way, and was struck by lightning himself.

"_**This has got to stop."**_ I growled, too angry to say anything else.

"_**Hana, no! What are you doing?"**_ Atem cried after me as I marched out to the battlefield alone, taking only the clothes on my back and my Millennium Shield as I went out to face our foe.

"_**What I must, little brother."**_ I answered grimly, not even meeting his horror-struck gaze as I left the relative safety of the gathering of soldiers. **_"I might be able to buy you a little time for whatever you're planning. It's not much, but it's the most I can do for you now. I was honored to be your sister, Atem."_**

"_**Hana! Don't do this! You don't need to throw your life away! We'll find another answer!"**_ Seth cried, grabbing my wrist and trying to hold me back. I felt sorry for it, but I sent an electrical current through my body and caused him to let go of me. **_"There _**_is_ _**no other way. You and I both know that."**_ I sniffed as I walked away from my brother and his newly-discovered cousin.

"**HA! Weak spellcaster, do you really think you can defeat the lord of darkness? Your pathetic master already tried that and failed!"** Zorc laughed, and the sound was like roaring thunder. I steeled myself against his taunts and prepared myself for my most powerful magical attack. I summoned all the power within me, staking almost all of my ba on this one attack. If this didn't work, then nothing that I could do would. I created the largest sphere of energy that I had ever produced, the azure flames surrounded by a crackling cage of blue lightning.

"_**Go back to the shadow from whence you came, harbinger of destruction! I will not let you harm my little brother! Begone!"**_ I cried as I fired the attack, my eyes glowing as blue as my magical fireball. The burning sphere shot toward the gigantic monster, and impacted in the head of the dragon that was connected to its torso. Zorc roared in pain and staggered backward a few steps, somewhat surprised at the power of my attack. I smiled grimly as the embodiment of darkness was engulfed in smoke, but my grin disappeared when the fiend emerged, seemingly unharmed.

"**You will pay for that, weak human!"**he cried, and reached down with one of his enormous hands and grabbed me tightly, pinning my arms against my sides. He squeezed me tighter in his grip, and I felt both my arms and a few ribs break from the strain. I cried out in agony, and the monster seemed to enjoy my anguish.

"**My fight is with the king of this pathetic land. You are nothing more than an annoyance."** he growled, then he casually tossed me over his monstrous shoulder and through a portal that had just appeared behind him.

* * *

Thousands of miles and years away...

"Get away from me! Leave me alone!" Hanna cried as she ran down the sidewalk that surrounded the campus, trying to throw off her pursuers.

"Not a chance, freak! You're gonna pay for what you did!" the leader shouted back at the young woman's retreating figure.

_What_ I_ did? Try looking in the mirror, bub, if you want to pin the blame on someone..._ she thought as she continued to flee, the bully and his posse in hot pursuit. She would never voice her thoughts aloud, though, as those kind of words were sure to earn her a black eye. Hanna kept running in silence, occasionally slipping a bit on hidden ice on the sidewalk, but not enough to fall. The date was February 14, and large mountains of snow from the plows divided the concrete from the pavement of Main Street just beside her.

_Some Valentine's Day_ this_ is turning out to be..._ Hanna thought dejectedly as she turned a corner into an alley. However, this turned out to be a mistake, as half of the gang had split off and was now blocking the exit, effectively trapping Hanna in the crammed alleyway.

_Congratulations, boys. You've just evolved into herding dogs..._ the eighteen-year-old college student mused, glaring at the Alpha of the pack and trying to keep her knees from shaking. Brad smirked and cracked his knuckles menacingly, and his cronies laughed wickedly behind him.

"Shall I remind you _why_ I'm mad?" the quarterback growled, advancing on the shivering student, who fearfully shook her head. "Oh? Then you remember how my favorite jacket got ruined?" he asked sarcastically, shoving the shaking girl into the brick wall behind her. Screwing up her courage, the frightened girl answered, "I told you not to shake that beaker. The chemicals we were working with in lab today were highly volatile. It's not my fault that you were showing off to those cheerleaders." _Why those bimbos and these meat-heads would be in Advanced Chem is beyond me._ she added silently to herself. Her confidence fled as Brad grabbed the front of her coat, and she shrank back. "Look at what you did to my letterman's jacket! Look at it! It's completely ruined!" he roared, throttling the helpless girl and giving her whiplash.

_And he's_ still_ not listening to a word I say..._ she thought grimly. _Why do I even bother?_She glanced down at the bully's jacket, which was spotted with so many burn holes from the acid that it looked more like Swiss cheese than a piece of clothing. She cast her eyes down at her shoes, which were suspended at least a foot off the ground, and avoided eye contact with the Neanderthal that was worshiped by the whole campus.

"Look at me when I'm yelling at you, freak!" Brad roared, spraying Hanna's face with spit. Hanna flinched, but made no move to wipe it off. She just continued to stare at the ground, her green eyes listless and devoid of light.

"This jacket cost me 160 bucks! And you know what? I think I'm gonna take it outta your hide!" he shouted, then he punched Hanna in the face, breaking a few capillaries in her nose and her glasses in one shot. The 6'2'' football player stepped on them, grinding the lenses to powder with his boot, and mangling the frames beyond hope of repair. Next he hit her in the gut, and Hanna nearly lost her lunch. As funny as that would be, throwing up on him would only fuel his anger. Half an hour of this torture passed, and the bullies left to return to the dorms, leaving Hanna in the alley with two black eyes blooming, a bloody nose and mouth, and a queasy stomach. She slowly staggered out of the gap between buildings and returned to her own dorm, thankful for the millionth time that she had a single all to herself. She didn't want to have to explain this to a roommate.

Grabbing a few Kleenexes and twisting them into her nose, she walked to the bathroom and cleaned off the blood from her face and mouth. Then she turned on her laptop, set it on the island counter-top, and pointed the screen at her sink, where she would be doing dishes. When her mom made her nightly check-up on Skype, her back would be to the camera. Hanna smiled at her little burst of inspiration, but then winced when the simple action hurt her swollen lip.

Midway through the pile of dishes, the computer beeped. _Right on time, Mom. As usual._ Hanna thought, then she clicked on the window to open the chat.

"Hi, honey! How were your classes today?" Mrs. Sierra bubbled, her perpetual good mood present as it always was, although for once, Hanna was not happy to see her. But for her mother's sake, she pretended she was.

"Hi, Mom!" she answered in a cheerful voice that was convincing enough to fool her mother. "Classes were great, we got to do some cool stuff in lab." she supplied, trying her best not to turn around.

"Really? I hope you're learning a bunch! You wanna get a good job after school, don't you?" Ann Sierra asked, repeating the same question she had for the past three years. Hanna rolled her eyes, and then winced again. Even _that_ hurt. "Yes, Mom." she sighed.

"What's wrong, Hanna? Your voice sounds different." Ann asked, cocking her head in confusion, then she laughed. "I can see that those dishes take a _lot_ of concentration," she teased. "But can't you turn around and look at the screen for a second? I want to see my daughter's smiling face."

Hanna grimaced and shut her eyes. _Well, so much for _that_ fa__ç__ade._ Then she turned around, and her mother screamed. "Oh no Hanna! What happened to you?"

Hanna sighed again and recounted the story for her horrified mother, and at the end, both women had tears in their eyes. By this time, Hanna's father had joined the conversation, and was looking over his wife's shoulder at the computer screen.

"I can't do this anymore, Dad." Hanna sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself as if in a straitjacket, rocking back and forth slightly in anxiety. "I mean, my classes are fine, great even, but my classmates... I wanna come home, Dad. I can't take it anymore."

"You are staying at that school, young lady. You are getting a degree and a good job. I am not going to let you waste two years worth of tuition just because of a few idiots in your class. Just ignore them, and they'll leave you alone. Do I make myself clear?" Lee Sierra snapped, causing Hanna to tear up again.  
"Okay, Dad." she muttered, then turned off the webcam.

_Easy for _you_ to say, Dad. You're 6'4". Bullies wouldn't dare pick on someone like _you_..._ Hanna thought as she closed her laptop and put it back on the sofa, where she would work on her homework after dinner.

"Good thing I didn't cook that other steak." Hanna said an hour later as she held the T-bone to her face and finished her homework. After that was done, she watched a little TV before turning in for the night. _What am I gonna do tomorrow?_

* * *

"_**Where am I?"**_ I wondered as I flew through a vortex of multicolored light. Colors I had never seen swirled around me, and sights too unbelievable to describe flashed before my eyes. I looked around wildly, searching for something, _anything_, that seemed familiar. But no such luck. Somehow, I had seen the fate of my family and beloved country, and the feeling was bittersweet, but more sour than sweet. Zorc had been defeated, but victory had come with great sacrifice. Atem had sealed away both the embodiment of darkness and his own soul within the Millennium Puzzle, shattering it into pieces to wait for who knew how many centuries.

"_**This must be the space-time continuum..."**_ I thought a while later as my soul traveled through the millennia. My body had disintegrated to dust hours, _or was it centuries?_ ago, and my soul had created an incorporeal 'spirit-body' to protect itself. I gazed forward through the vortices to ascertain my destination, but couldn't see anything but a white light up ahead. _**"If I'm traveling through space and time, I wonder where in the world I'll end up? Knowing my luck, it'll be the other side of the world."**_ I thought gloomily, looking around at the passing rings of color.

"_**Well, wherever I end up, I hope it's warm. Space is freezing!"**_

* * *

End of chapter 3

Hana: Wait, who is _this_ now? Don't tell me it's my replacement OC!

Me: Nope. Hanna's not replacing you. You'll find out who she is soon enough. Don't worry. (That goes for you readers as well!)

Next chapter teaser: Transplanted

I know. I skipped over most of the stuff that happened in Ancient Egypt. You've all seen the show. You know how it happens. And if you don't remember, you can always watch it again! If memory serves, it starts on episode 202.

Both: See you next time!

Tsunami Storm/Hana Itonami


	4. Transplanted

Flower of Life

Chapter 4: Transplanted

* * *

The next day...

"Oh man, Hanna! What _happened_ to you?" Sara asked as her best friend walked into class with a pair of very nice shiners blooming on both of her eyes. She wasn't wearing her glasses, and her right cheek was swollen to the size of a small apple. Hanna smiled in greeting as best she could and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Brad." she replied, and that was all she needed to say. Sara understood immediately. "Hanna, you have _got_ to report him! He can't just get away with beating people up because of a small accident that was _his_ fault anyway! Why do you let him abuse you like that?"

"Because if I'd resist, he'd just beat me up worse." Hanna answered glumly. "Anyway, you know how I am with confrontations. I'm not assertive at all. My 'Fight or Flight' response is permanently stuck on 'flight'."

"But what are you gonna tell Mr. Higgins when he asks about those injuries?" Sara pressed, and Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Everyone knows how gullible he is. I'll just say I fell down the stairs last night." Hanna shrugged.

"Like anyone is dumb enough to believe _that_. That's the oldest excuse in the book! Or, one of them anyway." Sara argued, shaking her head. Then she changed the subject when she saw that convincing her friend was a lost cause. "What did your parents say last night?"

"Oh, they were no help at all. Well, Mom gave me a listening ear, but Dad? Nuh-uh. He just told me to ignore them. I mean, that might work for a giant like him, but me? I might as well walk around with a target painted on my front." Hanna explained, her eyes starting to water again. Soon she was sitting down with her back to the wall and sobbing into her knees while the girls waited for their professor to arrive. "I can't do it anymore, Sara. I really can't." Hanna sniffed, looking over at her only friend. Sara put a sympathetic arm around her shoulders and let the girl cry into her own shoulder.

"Brad's right. I _am_ a freak." Hanna sniffed a while later, wiping the salty tears off her cheeks as their other classmates started to arrive. "There's something seriously wrong with me. I don't know exactly what, though. The doctors told my Mom that I'm an enigma. I've got symptoms from the whole spectrum of autism disorders. No wonder I've never had a single date."

"Oh, Hanna. You'll find somebody. You're nice, funny, pretty, smart, and you're no weakling. One of these days, you'll meet your Prince Charming and ride off on his white stallion into your Happily Ever After." Hanna made a face at her teasing friend, then they both laughed. "Yeah, right, Sara. But thanks for cheering me up."

Just then, the professor appeared at the end of the hall, and the two girls walked into their Advanced Chemistry class.

* * *

_Best. Birthday. Ever._ Hanna thought sarcastically as she sat on the edge of the wall on the roof, letting her legs dangle over the edge and looking up at the sparsely clouded sky. _At least it's a nice day. No snow. Still, the weather can only do so much to improve a day from-_ Hanna interrupted that thought before she finished it. She liked to keep her thoughts at a PG rating. She sighed as she flipped through her collection of Duel Monsters cards, just admiring the colorful illustrations on the monster, magic and trap cards.

"Well, I'm officially nineteen now," Hanna commented to no one in particular as she looked at her watch after putting the binder back in her backpack. "and as far as birthdays go, this one is definitely _not_ in the top ten." She rubbed her arm absentmindedly, on which bloomed a fresh new bruise, courtesy of Brad. Another 'accident' had occurred, although this one was not nearly as disastrous as yesterday's. Hanna's lab partner had added too much of an ingredient to the chemical they were mixing, and it had exploded in his face. Not seriously, but enough to produce a black cloud of smoke that covered his face in soot. As usual, he had blamed his innocent lab partner for the incident, and she would have to endure a sore arm for at least a week.

"Hey, Hanna! What's up?" Sara asked, opening the door of the roof and walking up to her friend, sitting down on the ledge beside her. Hanna didn't reply, but continued to rub her abused arm in silence. Sara took that as an invitation, saying, "I don't care how stubborn you are. I told both the dean and Professor Higgins what Brad was doing to you. Something tells me he won't be returning to school after this weekend." she smirked triumphantly.

"That was dangerous, Sara. You know what will happen if he finds out that somebody ratted on him." Hanna mumbled lifelessly. She was genuinely concerned for her friend, but no longer possessed any enthusiasm for life.

"Ah, I don't care. He can complain all he wants. It's not gonna bother me." she shrugged, to which Hanna replied, "Huh. I wish I had your confidence."

* * *

Meanwhile...

"_**This is taking forever."**_ I thought as I continued to travel through time and space. Then I laughed at the irony of my statement. _Not that I can measure time in her__e._ I looked ahead at what was apparently my destination and tried again to decipher any recognizable shapes in the glowing white space that was slowly waxing larger the closer I got to it. As usual, I couldn't see any shapes whatsoever, just a large blob of white light.

"_**Is that the Field of Reeds up ahead? It could be. Maybe **__that's__** where I'm headed."**_ I said to myself as I traveled through the space-time continuum. _**"I'll finally see all my friends again. That'll be nice. And maybe I'll see my mother again **__**and finally meet my father. I've always wondered what he looked like."**_

_Well, wherever I'm headed, it's sure to be an adventure._ I thought as the white space grew suddenly to encompass my whole field of vision. Suddenly, I could see a building made out of brick and a strange kind of stone [cement], with a young woman sitting on the edge of the roof. I couldn't see her face, as her back was to me, but I thought I recognized her from the back. _She looks just like me! Same height, same hair, even the same build! This is bizarre!_ Then I realized I was on a collision course with my strange double. _**"Look out!"**_ I cried, crashing into the girl and accidentally pushing her off of the ledge when my soul merged with her physical form.

* * *

"How could I let this happen? I should have seen the signs!" Mrs. Sierra wailed into her husband's shirt, staining the light-colored material dark with her tears. She and Lee Sierra were standing in Hanna's hospital room, where their daughter was lying in bed, comatose and injured from her fall from three stories up. "We should have brought her home! Then this wouldn't have happened!"

Lee Sierra put his arm around his wife's shoulders and silently agreed. _Hanna, haven't you always heard that suicide isn't the answer? You can't just give up!_ But he said nothing, continuing to watch his daughter's heart monitor as it steadily recorded the beating. _At least she's still alive. We can only pray that she'll come out of her coma soon._

* * *

"_**What's going on here? Where am I?"**_ I thought as I looked around. My surroundings were arranged exactly like my room back at the palace, but I knew in my heart that I was nowhere near Egypt. For one thing, there were two doors in this room, not one, and one of them had a strange white mist leaking out of the gap under the door, and I was scared to open it. Remembering one of my magic lessons from long ago, when master Mahaad had taught me to let go of fear, I slowly walked to the door without the mist and put my hand on the knob.

The door opened for me automatically, gliding inward on soundless hinges, and revealed a completely white room with a single occupant. I stepped back in shock when I realized that it was the girl from earlier, the one that I had collided with, and I slowly walked over to her and gently tapped her on the shoulder. _**"Hey, can you tell me where I am?"**_ I asked her quietly.

No response. I tried tapping her shoulder again, harder this time, but she remained silent. I cocked my head in confusion, then walked around her so that I could see her face. What I saw took my breath away. The girl's eyes were open, but they were completely white, devoid of pupils, irises, and even blood vessels. I was so taken aback that I stepped backward and tripped over my own feet, falling on my backside with a _flump_.

Finding myself thoroughly unnerved by the catatonic young woman that looked almost exactly like me, I quickly left the white room and entered the comfort of my own, returning my curiosity to the misty door. _Hang on; this must be my _soul room_! I remember ma__ster Mahaad talking about these during one of my last magic lessons. This is weird. I guess I would be known as a _yami_ now, and that girl over there is my _hikari_. Interesting..._ I thought to myself. _**"If that door leads to my hikari's room, then this misty **__**one must be the door to the outside world. I don't think I want to go there yet, so I'll just explore in my room for a while." **_I mused quietly to myself.

After I had familiarized myself with everything in my soul room, I took another look at the door that connected my room and my hikari's. I opened that door again, curious as to how that young woman came to be in that state. I thought I might be able to do something to bring her out of it. I slowly and quietly approached her again, just in case she suddenly snapped out of it, and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. Closing my eyes, I tapped into my reserves of magic and tried a simple spell that would heal her. As the magic flowed out of me and into my hikari, I sighed in relief. _It's working! I can feel__ it!_

But then something happened that I was not prepared for. A solid wall of steel erupted in the girl's mind, forcibly ejecting my gentle probe from her thoughts. I was so surprised that I fell backwards again, once again landing on my tailbone. My magical bond was still there, though, and it somehow acted as a link between our minds, copying Hanna's memories and transferring them to my own, effectively downloading me with all of her knowledge about the modern world. I gasped at the onslaught of information, surprised at the ferocity of Hanna's mental attack. Based on what I'd seen, I would never have guessed that she would attack me like that. Her personality was quite unlike mine. I was fairly assertive, she was not.

Still unnerved by what had just transpired, I picked myself up, dusted off my backside, and left the room to return to the relative safety of my own. I took one more look at the door that led to the outside world, then steeled myself for what might happen._ Who knows? Maybe Hanna's parents will see this as an improvement. Nothing has really changed on the outside. To them, it will seem like Hanna will just wake up. _Then I cracked the door open and poked my head through the opening.

* * *

"I just want my little girl back! There must be _something_ you can do!" Ann Sierra wailed, pleading with the neurosurgeon that had arrived and diagnosed Hanna's condition. He sighed heavily. "I'm very sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Sierra, but there's nothing I can do. Your daughter's accident has left her completely catatonic. Her biological functions are all normal, but her mind is gone. There's nothing more that modern medicine can do for her. Save a miracle." he explained sadly, wanting to comfort the distraught woman, but having none to offer. Hanna's mother continued to sob quietly into her hands, falling back into the nearest chair and crying as if her heart had burst.

Without warning, the heart monitor started beeping faster, and I took a deep breath of fresh air, my first in five-thousand years. Lee and Ann gasped in shock, as did the doctor, who was just leaving the room. They all crowded around the bed, utterly flummoxed at this miraculous turn of events. I groaned quietly and fluttered my green eyes, opening them slowly and looking around at my surroundings in confusion. I looked at the three gaping faces, and from my 'copied' memories, recognized two of them. "Mom? Dad? Where am I?" I groaned again, putting a hand to the side of my head and rubbing it. For some reason, it hurt.

"Oh, honey. You've come back to us!" Ann laughed, hardly daring to believe it. She leaned over me and hugged me as tightly as she could, without disturbing the IV in my arm and causing too much discomfort. I patted her back awkwardly with my free hand, feeling somewhat guilty that I was posing as someone else. "You're in the hospital, honey. You had a bit of an... _accident_ at school." she explained, patting my hand comfortingly.

"Oh yeah. I remember now." I answered, the memories of my entrance flooding back as if someone had just opened the curtains in my mind. "I fell off the roof, right?"

"Yeah. The only thing that broke your fall was that huge snowdrift from the road scrapers. The doctor said it was a miracle that you didn't break your neck. In fact, there were no broken bones at all." my dad explained, walking around to the side of my bed and putting a huge hand on my shoulder. I smiled when I remembered my view of the incident. _Good thing the snow was soft._ I thought, picturing myself as I fell headfirst into the snow pile, looking just like a cartoon.

"What were you doing up there anyway, Hanna?" Mom asked, and I turned to look at her when I answered. "I was just thinking. You know, getting some quiet time to myself. I see now that it was a dumb idea to sit on the edge of the roof like that, but I wasn't going to commit suicide. It was an accident. There was this freak gust of wind, and I lost my balance."_ And gained a second soul..._ I added mentally.

"Well, that's encouraging." Lee commented, looking at me again. "We knew that you were smart enough to know you can't just kill yourself to run away from your problems. I'm proud of you, Hanna." he smiled, and I returned the expression, a twinge of guilt once again tugging at my heartstrings. The person they were talking to was not their daughter, and I felt really guilty deceiving them like this.

"I'm just so glad you're okay!" Ann cried, leaning over me and hugging me again. I patted her back again, complaining, "It's alright, Mom. I'm okay. You don't have to go to pieces on me."

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. I was just so worried! We thought we'd lost you forever!" Ann sniffed, standing back up and smiling at me tearfully. "We were wrong to force you to stay at that school. You can transfer to someplace else and finish up. You won't have to deal with that creep anymore." she smiled at me, and I involuntarily sighed in relief. I had to admit that I wasn't looking forward to a confrontation with that guy again, especially now given my altered state. I wasn't sure if I could hold back, to refrain from using my abilities to give him exactly what he deserved.

I smiled at my 'parents' again for their benefit, assuring them without words that I was going to be alright, but inside I was burning with guilt. _Had Hanna really been thinking of jumping off that roof? Could she be the kind of person who would just give up instead of facing her problems? Maybe _that's_ why she didn't respond to my mental probe._

I closed my eyes to get some more rest, and turned my thoughts inward as I considered the interesting direction that my life was taking. _Well, one thing is certain: Life will never be the same for me. I'll have to keep quiet about my abilities, at least around my new family. It's gonna be tough, but I'm determined to face any obstacle that life throws at me head-on._

* * *

I was released from the hospital the next day. I had to be in a wheelchair, because I'd bruised my femur in one leg and twisted my ankle in the other leg, but I wasn't complaining. I'd had worse in Egypt. The doctors couldn't believe how fast I was recovering, faster than any normal human should. I just shrugged and told them that I'd always been a quick healer. It would cause a panic if I'd told them the truth, that I could use magic.

However, Ma'at had other plans for me. She decided that my trials weren't over. So just as my life was returning to some sense of normalcy, disaster struck. A few days after my legs had healed and I was able to walk on my own without crutches or a wheelchair, some college punks thought it would be fun to set my parent's house on fire. It was the middle of the night, and both of them were fast asleep. I was home with my parents. I'd always been a heavy sleeper back in Egypt, but Hanna apparently was not.

_What's going on? I smell smoke. And what is that barking noise? Is that Cornchip?_ My half-awake brain processed as I assessed the situation magically, just as Seth had taught me centuries ago. _Fire? ...the house is on fire!_

I raced into my parents room and shook them awake, then I ran downstairs and let the dog out of the basement. The corgi ran out the door as fast as his short little legs could carry him, looking like a streak of caramel and cream-colored lightning. _He's in a hurry..._ I laughed to myself, then ran back to my parent's room.

By this time, the whole attic had burned to smoldering ashes, and the fire was starting on the ceiling of the first floor. Mom was coughing because of all the smoke, and Dad was trying to keep them under the smoke layer. Not an easy task, given his height. I ran over to them and helped Mom, putting her left arm over my shoulder and walking to the door.

The fire wasn't gonna give us up that easily, though. Just when we'd managed to get to the doorway, a burning beam fell from the ceiling and crashed in front of us, about an inch in front of me. I jumped back instinctively, and bit my tongue in the process. I tasted blood, and then I rolled my eyes. _Great. What _else_ can go wrong?_

A lot, apparently. The only doorway was blocked, as were the windows, by a raging inferno. I looked around frantically, searching for some sort of escape route, but found none. _ I guess I have no choice._ I thought resignedly. _There's no other way out. _Moving to the center of the room where no fire was present, I closed my eyes and tapped into my magic reserves, which had gradually built up over the past few weeks from disuse. My eyes glowed a bright blue when I finally opened them, and a magical shield burst from my being and spread outward, encompassing myself and my parents and protecting us from the flames and smoke. Mom and Dad looked at me in disbelief, struck speechless by this unbelievable sight. I grimly set my jaw and concentrated my power again, trying to summon a storm of rain from skies that had been cloudless for a week. My ba dropped dramatically, but I didn't care, just so long as my spell worked to summon rain to put out the fire.

Suddenly a clap of thunder crashed over our heads, and droplets of water the size of marbles fell on the burning dwelling around us, hissing into steam as they made contact with the sweltering flames. I smiled a little as I watched the flames gradually subside from around our little circle of safety.

Eventually the last of the flames died with a pathetic sputter, and I relaxed and ended the storm spell that I had cast and lowered my shield. I bent down and put my hands on my knees, exhausted from the double spell that I'd had to cast. I was breathing hard, and I could feel that my ba was barely there. If I'd had my dia-diank, I would guess that it wouldn't even show up on the gauge, it was so low. Despite this, I managed to summon enough energy to lead my family through the wreckage and out to the yard. Cornchip jumped on me as soon as we were clear of the house, nearly tackling me and licking my hand, which was as high as his tongue could reach. "Good boy," I praised, petting the dog's floppy ears. "Thanks for waking me up. You saved us."

The happy little dog just kept panting and wagging his tail, enjoying the attention. Then he ran off to find his other companion in this family, our cat, Onyx. My mom had stopped coughing by this point, and now both of them were staring at me in silence, causing me to look at my feet and not meet their gaze.

"What _are _you?" Lee breathed, staring at me in revulsion. "You're not our daughter. _What are you?_" he repeated, and I couldn't meet his eyes. Ann was staring at me like I was some sort of alien. An alien that had come from outer space and had taken over her daughter's body.

"It's true. I'm not your daughter. I'm from a different time. My spirit was flung centuries into the future through the space-time continuum, and I somehow merged with your daughter's body. She's still here, but she won't respond no matter what I try. Near as I can tell, she's in something like a catatonic state, possibly from shock. I've tried to bring her out of it a million times, but no matter what I do, there's no response. I'm just a girl from the past who's trying to adjust to life in a foreign land. I don't mean any harm."

"The hell you don't!" Lee yelled, rounding on me in a furious rage. "Get out of my daughter, now! Go back to where you came from!"

"I wish I could, sir. I have no idea how this even happened, much less how to undo it. I don't even know if it's possible. I _have_ heard of ways to separate souls, but I can't perform any of them without hurting Hanna's soul in the process. And I would _never_ do that. Besides, I'd need her permission first, and she won't respond to me no matter what I try." I answered, trying my hardest to keep my tears back.

"Exactly how old _are_ you?" Ann questioned quietly, speaking for the first time since the fire.

"Well, that depends on what you're asking, ma'am." I answered politely. "Do you want to know how old I was when I was alive, or how old I am _now_, after traveling through time?"

Ann gave me a look like a deer in the headlights, not speaking for a moment as she processed the question. After a minute, she whispered nervously, "Both."

I gave her an encouraging smile, because she looked a little unsteady, then answered, "Well, I was almost nineteen when I had my little... _accident_, and I lived in Ancient Egypt five-thousand years ago.

I think my birthday is the same as your daughter's, at least, from what I can glean from her memories, so we're the same age."

"So young..." Ann breathed, but Lee would have nothing of it. "I don't care how old it is! Get out of our daughter NOW!" he roared, and I stepped back a little in fear.

"I can't. Not without hurting Hanna." I repeated, fighting back tears of fear and despair. How was I going to get out of this one without hurting them beyond repair?

"Then there's only one thing to do." Lee growled, and Ann looked at him, then back at me. "You're not our daughter. Get out of our lives, you're not welcome here. Leave!" Beside him, Ann nodded, glaring at me with the same expression as her husband.

I looked at both of them in shock, never believing that they would react like this. I took one step back, then two, then with an emotional "I'm so sorry," ran off into the night.

* * *

Two days later I had bought a newspaper from the a local vendor, and Hanna's name appeared in the obituary section. It said that I had died from complications from my fall off the campus roof, complications that developed _after_ I was released from the hospital.

"Well, I guess I'd better move somewhere else, since I no longer have a home here." I said to myself as I walked down the snow-covered sidewalk, kicking random pebbles ahead of me. Hanna had some money that she had saved up in her piggybank, and I took that when I left the remains of the Sierra's house. Technically, it was still her money, and I was borrowing her body. I hoped it was enough to pay for a one-way plane ticket to Japan.

_I'll have to find a job over there, 'cause I don't have enough money to rent even the cheapest apartment. I'll have to make do somewhere else until then._ I thought to myself as I walked to the nearest airport, nearly 30 miles away.

* * *

_This is taking forever!_ I thought a while later as I traveled, my feet aching from walking so far. I was near a main road, and hundreds of cars whizzed by me as I plodded along. _Hey, maybe I can try this! It's worked for other people, so why not me?_ I thought, an idea suddenly sparking in my head. I stopped near the shoulder of the road, then stuck out my thumb and faced the oncoming traffic. After a while, a teal pickup truck slowed down and drove onto the shoulder, stopping a few feet in front of me. When I walked up to say thank you, he growled, "You don't have three more friends behind that boulder, do you?" I looked behind me, and indeed there was a giant boulder in the ditch.

"No sir, just me. Why?" I asked in confusion, and he just shrugged. "Ah, it's nothin'. S'just that the las' time I gave a ride to a pretty girl dat wanted ta hitchhike, I got stuck wid her three boyfriends in da back as well."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that, sir. It's just me, myself, and I." I joked, and he laughed. "Heh. Good one, kid. So, where to?"

"The airport, if you could. I would really appreciate it." I answered, and he waved it off. "Nah. S'the least I can do fer a pretty young lady like yaself. Don' worry 'bout it. If ya don' min' me askin', Why're ya goin' to th' airport? You don' have any luggage."

"It's... a long story. And I'd rather not talk about it." I answered quietly, and he shrugged again and mentioned something about it being none of his business anyway. I appreciated that, and we drove in silence the rest of the way to the airport.

The rest of my journey passed without much difficulty, although I did get a lot of odd looks because of my luggage-less state. Surprisingly, I had enough money for a plane ticket, and had enough to spare afterwards. After the eighteen-hour plane ride, I boarded a train headed for Domino City, trusting my instincts to guide me where I was supposed to go. The train ride would take about two hours, so I figured I could get some sleep while I traveled. I'd tried sleeping on the plane, but that didn't work due to the uncomfortable seats.

Three hours later, I had arrived in Domino and was temporarily staying with a kind family for the night. I'd offered to pay them, but they wouldn't have it. I smiled at this bit of good luck in a sea of bad, glad that there were still kind, trusting people in the world. "You remind me of my daughter." the woman had said. "She has this gift of always seeing the best in people. She's staying with her brother tonight, along with her son, Johji."

"Thank you, Mrs. Honda." I said in their language, bowing.

"Call me Hinata." she answered, nodding her head.

* * *

The next morning, I left early and walked around town, looking for a place that might give me a job, one that I would enjoy. I eventually made my way to the museum, and saw a sign that they were hiring people to be tour guides for their new Egyptology exhibit. _Oh, the irony..._ I thought to myself as I snorted. I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Walking up the stone steps, I pushed open the door and applied for a job right then and there.

_That was refreshingly easy._ I thought to myself as I walked out of the museum an hour later, my new uniform and name tag slung over my shoulder. _Now I just have to find an apartment that I can afford._ I walked to the lower-income section of town, inquiring in every complex I could find. The last building that I came to finally had a vacancy, and the rent would be cheap enough for me to afford on my salary from the museum. The requirements were simple. "You have a job?" the manager asked, and I nodded. "You have any pets?" I shook my head. "Great. You're in."

"That's it?" I asked incredulously. "I don't have to make a down payment right away?" I couldn't believe it.

"Nah. Jus' make sure you get the rent to me before the end of the month." he shrugged, and I was so relieved that I accidentally smacked my head on the counter as I bowed. We both laughed, then I took my key with a red face and walked over to the elevator, glad that I wouldn't have to climb five flights of stairs to get to my room. _Maybe Ma'at is giving me a break after what happened with Hanna's family and their house._

I made my way to my room, which wasn't much, just a bed and a bathroom, but it was enough. I hadn't been expecting much considering the neighborhood and the extremely low rent, but at least I would be protected from the elements. Besides, I didn't plan on staying in this place for long. As I rose through the ranks at my job, I would upgrade my living arrangements as well.

I put my few things in my room, then I returned to the lobby to get myself some lunch. As I passed the counter, the manager called, "Hey, what's yer name?"

I looked back and smiled. "It's Hana. Itonami Hana."

* * *

End of chapter 4

Next chapter teaser: Taking Root

I was dealing with some touchy subjects here. Suicide, bullying, disownment. Not to mention hostile body-snatching, minus the 'hostile' part. XD I hope I handled it right.

Yeah, I borrowed that guy and his pickup truck from the show, in season 4, 'Waking the Dragons'. Remember when Téa was hitchhiking, and Joey, Yami and Tristan were hiding behind that boulder? That was funny!

I know that in real life, Hana would never be able to move to Japan that easily _and_ find a job like that. I agree that it was _waaayy_ too fast. But, this is a fiction story, so I'm allowed a few creative liberties, right?

Ugh. I _still_ feel guilty essentially killing off Hanna. Especially when I know that she won't be resurfacing, like the last character I 'killed off' in one of my other stories. *cough*Weevil*cough*.

Until next time, a torn

Tsunami Storm/Hana Itonami


	5. Taking Root

Flower of Life

Chapter 5: Taking Root

* * *

One month later...

"Hey, Hana!" Sakura called, waving me over to where she was talking with her group of friends. I smiled and walked over to her, putting my spare change in a pocket of my scrubs after purchasing a cup of juice from the local vendor.

"You doin' anything tonight? We're gonna hang out with some of our friends from out of town. You wanna come with us?" Sakura asked, and the aides around her giggled, sounding like teenagers with a first crush.

"Sorry, guys." I refused, surprising myself when I heard the genuine disappointment in my voice. "I got this trip to Egypt with the museum tomorrow morning. We're leaving at like the crack of dawn. Otherwise I'd love to go with you."

"Aww, you never get to go out _anywhere_ with your two jobs here and at that museum." Hinata groaned, and all the girls adopted sympathetic faces. "Add that to all those night classes you're taking to be a surgeon, and you've got the recipe for the most boring life in the history of dull lives!" another of my coworkers complained, and the whole group nodded.

"What can I say? I need these jobs to keep my apartment. That landlady is one of the most racist people I have ever met." I shrugged. "But I don't mind. As long as she gets her rent on time, we both stay happy. And besides, I'm used to not having a social life." I hedged, drawing on memories from my other half to supply that information.

I had been living in Japan for a little over a month, and found a job as a tour guide for the local museum in Domino. That job didn't pay very much, so I decided to take a few night classes at a community college to get a better degree. I finally decided on a position in the medical field, as my skills in healing were the best of my magical arsenal back in Egypt. I figured I could best disguise my abilities by becoming a surgeon. I took a second job as a surgeon's assistant while I was working on my degree, and my hours were just flexible enough to allow for trips to archaeological sites now and then for the museum.

I had also upgraded my status of living to an apartment in the middle-class area of the town, a far cry from the cheap accommodations of my first lodging place. My new landlady wasn't nearly as acquiescing as the former, and not nearly as kind, either. She barely tolerated foreigners, reminding me strongly of how an animal hater treats the pets of their close friends, or people they are trying to impress. But I was able to keep up with my payments once a month, and stay on her good side, relatively speaking. We never spoke to each other but once a month, but I was okay with that.

"I'd better get home, since I have to wake up extra early tomorrow. See you on Monday." I waved to the group of girls, who waved back and called, "Good luck on your expedition!"

"Thanks!" I called back, then left the juice shop and made my way home. Upon arriving, I changed out of my scrubs and into my nightdress, since I wasn't planning on going anywhere tonight. Then I cooked myself a quick dinner in my small kitchen and sat on my bed, deciding to get a head-start on my homework for my classes. I'd learned from her memories that Hanna had been a relatively-decent student, but I was determined to be the best, and receive my degree as quickly as was humanly possible. After that I packed my bag for the trip and tucked myself into bed, knowing that I would get only four hours of sleep before having to wake up again. _Eh. I can sleep on the plane._ I thought as I turned off the light and rolled onto my side.

* * *

Two days later...

"Whew! I'd forgotten how hot it is here! Of course, I was used to it back then." I muttered to myself as I worked alongside twenty other archaeologists as they slowly attempted to uncover a buried temple to Bes, one of many that protected my ancient homeland. I smiled as my thoughts drifted 5,000 years up the time-stream, to my past life in the palace. I subconsciously touched my hand to my collarbone, searching in vain for a certain gold cartouche necklace that had not been present around my neck for five millennia. I sighed when I considered the last place that I'd had it, during the battle with Zorc, just outside the palace city. More likely than not, I would never see it again.

As I walked back to my tent on the outskirts of the camp that evening, My foot caught on something sharp and tore my sandal, along with quite a big portion of skin off the top of my foot. I grit my teeth hard to bite back the tears and scream of pain that threatened to erupt, and I managed to reduce it to a quiet whimper. I looked back from my place on the sandy ground, shining my flashlight around to find what had tripped and cut me. As the beam of light passed over it, something glimmered briefly before disappearing again in the meager light of the setting sun.

"I don't believe it!" I gasped, dragging myself over to the object and uncovering it with my tools. "It's good to see you, my old friend!" I commented, and the Eye of Wdjat on my Millennium Shield seemed to smile back at me. I tugged my pack off my back and opened it, removing a cloth and some alcohol to clean off the blood that was on one of the points of the shield, then tucked the Item between two folded cloths and zipped the bag back up. To my surprise, the pack hid its shape completely from view. I then made an exact clone of the item, minus the spells I had imbued in it so long ago. I magically scanned the area, and to my great surprise, found my necklace not too far away. I made a copy of that too, and put the original around my neck, hiding it with a simple illusion spell.

"Hana? What's the matter?" one of the archaeologists asked as he approached, spotting the artifact beside me. "Hey, what did you find there? We're supposed to be done excavating for today."

"I didn't find it on purpose. I tripped on it and cut my foot. Pretty badly. I can't get up." I explained, glaring at the gold shield for my companion's benefit. He quickly took the unspoken hint and helped me to my feet, well, _foot_, picking up the artifact with his other hand. "I also found this necklace, although I can't read hieroglyphics." I lied, offering the copy of my necklace to him so he could examine it.

"I can't either, but our supervisor will know what it says. It looks like the figures are made of lapis lazuli. Whoever owned it must have been very rich. Or royalty." he observed, turning the cartouche over in his large hands while I hopped along beside him on one foot. He shrugged and put it around his forearm, then bent down without warning and picked me up bridal-style. I wanted to protest, but common sense told me to shut up and go with it, since I couldn't walk right anyway.

"These things are a job for another day. Right now, I need to get you to the medical tent. Don't want that foot to get infected." the man commented to break the silence as I thought to myself.

"Thanks." I answered distractedly, my mind 5,000 years in the past. _How did my necklace and shield end up all the way out here? This place is miles from the palace city of Thebes. It's almost as far as..._ I gasped just as a cold wind blew past my injured foot, and my companion mistook it for a gasp of pain, though I hardly even felt it.

_We're excavating the village where I was born!_ I realized suddenly. _The villagers here worshiped Bes and Bastet before all the others, because they were plagued most by invading plunderers and thieves. But, how did my stuff end up here? I never told anyone where I came from, not even my father or brother._ I pondered this conundrum as I rested in the medical tent while a team of surgeons put stitches in my foot. I hissed in pain as they tied the sutures, as some of the anesthetic they gave me hadn't taken effect yet. "Sorry." the surgeon apologized, and I shrugged, waving it off. It didn't hurt that much.

* * *

Two days later, the excavation site had been completely exposed, and I and my coworkers gasped in awe at the extent of the preservation of this temple. A statue each of Bes and Bastet stood at the back of the temple, and both deities were smiling benevolently down on their worshipers, who would come to make daily sacrifices. I walked up to the statue of the cat goddess, and inspected the podium on which she stood, feeling that something seemed off about her. Finally I found it. A mark on her left ankle showed the shape of a cartouche, with inverted characters that spelled my name. I decided to try fitting my pendant into the depression, and smiled when it fit perfectly.

What I wasn't expecting, however, was a small opening to reveal itself on the side of the podium. I reached into the gap and pulled out an ancient scroll, unrolling it carefully to read the contents. What I found nearly brought tears to my eyes.

"_May the Gods and Goddesses protect your spirit, sister._

_Seth and _"_

_Seth, _I thought, amazed at my dear friend's resourcefulness. _You found the land of my birth and made sure that the items that were precious to me in life stayed safe throughout the centuries. The sand must have carried the shield and my necklace above the statues over the years as it rose, covering the temple. Bes must have guarded my shield, and Bastet my necklace. I can never thank you enough, my brothers. _I could tell that the second name had been my little brother's, even though the name had been erased by magic.

* * *

"These characters depict a name." Ishizu Ishtar declared the next morning as I and the other archaeologists gathered in the main tent to analyze the artifacts we had uncovered. "The ancients would carve their names on a cartouche, sort of like a name-tag that we would use today. This necklace belonged to a princess of the royal family, a sister of the Nameless Pharaoh. His name has been lost to time, but hers can be clearly identified on several ancient documents, as well as on this small accessory. Hana. It means happiness or joy, according to the scriptures." Everyone looked at me quizzically and I just shrugged. So we had the same name. What's wrong with that? Little did they know that we were actually the same person!

"This shield is quite interesting as well. It reminds me of the Millennium Items, though I know for a fact that there were only seven _true_ Millennium Items, and a shield was not one of them. I wonder if... could it be that this princess made this item herself?" Ishizu commented, keeping that last part to herself as she inspected the copy of my shield. I raised my eyebrows slightly in surprise when I overheard that last question, musing, _She's observant. I'm gonna have to be careful around her. She might find out the truth._ While she and my other colleagues inspected the gold item, I kept silent, standing toward the back of the group. The original was hidden in my tent, between my cot and the springboard that supported it. The original of my necklace still hung around my neck, although today I had disguised it to resemble a flash drive. Nobody questioned my extra article, as they knew that I had the task of documenting our findings on the computer.

"I wish we knew more about this princess." Ishizu commented as we drove back to the airport a few days later, concluding the expedition and delivering our findings to the Domino Museum. I looked over at her inquiringly, and she elaborated. "All that is known about her is that she was a year older than the Nameless Pharaoh and that she was adopted by the previous king of Egypt. It is not known where she came from or even who her parents were."

"She's a mystery, all right." I agreed, feigning ignorance on the subject. I was debating whether or not to tell the young Egyptian woman the truth, since, like me, she had possessed a Millennium Item at one point. Finally I decided against it. The truth about my past was too fantastic to believe.

"I mean, we haven't even found her tomb. You would think that an individual as important as her would have been buried as royalty, close to her adopted family." Miss Ishtar continued. "The subject just confounds me."

I shifted in my seat, feeling uncomfortable that I was purposefully keeping her in the dark. A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I suggested, "Maybe, like her brother, there was no body _to_ bury. We found out from all those scrolls that we uncovered that she fought against the embodiment of darkness. Maybe she was destroyed so that nothing remained of her except for her necklace and her shield." I half-fibbed, mixing in some of the truth and leaving out the rest, the part that was too unbelievable.

"That could be." Ishizu mused, considering this new information. I started to sweat a little when I realized that I might have said too much, but then Ishizu shrugged and dropped the subject, saying, "Well, we'll never know for sure what happened. I mean, it's not as if we can just ask her." then she laughed.

I laughed too, agreeing with her. "Right." Then we made the rest of the trip in silence, driving to the airport that would take me home.

* * *

"As you can see, the recent expedition to Egypt has unearthed many forgotten treasures that were previously lost to time. Two articles in particular have garnered quite a bit of interest in the archaeological community. This golden shield, marked with the symbol of the Eye of Wdjat, and this simple gold cartouche necklace, which depicts the name of an ancient Egyptian princess." I explained, showing the copies of my two items to one of the many tour groups that I conducted on a daily basis. "These cartouches were used as ancient name-tags by kings and nobles of the land of the Pharaohs, and they are slowly resurfacing in popularity in our modern culture. The museum gift shop currently has a few personalized replicas of this princess's necklace, and you can purchase one of your own to commemorate your visit to Domino Museum."

One of the girls toward the back of the tour group raised her hand, and I turned my attention to her and asked, "You have a question?"

"Um, yes." Téa Gardner replied. "I know that history doesn't tell us much about this princess, but, at what period of time did she live, approximately?"

I gave the young woman a small smile as I explained, "Well, we're not entirely positive, but historians are estimating that she was a sister of a king whose name has been lost to time. We know both his predecessor's name and his successor's, but his name has been erased from all archives. The previous king was named Akunumkanon, I believe, and his successor was a man called Seth. He was not the son of the nameless Pharaoh, but I believe that he was related to him in some way. If the genealogy is correct, Seth was the unknown Pharaoh's cousin, on his father's side."

The rest of my group didn't react much to this new information, merely nodding and scratching on their notepads or typing in the connection on their electronic devices. Téa however gasped quietly, and looked at my necklace with renewed interest. I knew that she had realized that the necklace had belonged to the sister of her best friend, Atem. My little brother.

One student near the front, however, insisted on making my life harder than it already was. He looked like the typical nerdy high school student, complete with large-framed glasses and a pocket protector. He was holding one of the latest note-taking tablets, one of the brand new versions of the stylus in his right hand, the tablet in his left. He asked his question in the most nasally voice I've ever heard, and I noticed when he spoke that he had a slight overbite. The guy was a classic, stereotypical nerd. "Excuse me," he almost sneered. "but can you actually _prove_ this connection that you're claiming? I like to have all the facts when I'm writing articles for the historical community."

The rest of the high school class groaned, and one of the other students complained to his friend, "There he goes again. Hiro just can't resist bragging about the fact that he writes for a national historical magazine. I mean, how much more geeky can you _get_?"

I just smiled and answered, "I'm glad you asked that, Mr. ...Tanaka." I read, checking his name-tag. "If you all would please follow me, we'll come to the next and possibly the most important archaeological discovery since the Rosetta Stone. This enormous tablet was unearthed just a few weeks ago, in the ancient ruins of the palace city of Thebes." I led them to the next room, where up against one wall and framed in glass was the most titanic tablet the class had likely ever seen. It spanned nearly the length of the wall, and reached almost to the ceiling, exactly 8 feet [≈2.4384 meters] off the ground.

I grabbed a pointer from the corner of the room, one that a schoolteacher would most likely use, and carefully drew their attention to a group of hieroglyphs near the top of the family tree. "If you look here, these hieroglyphics depict the name of the Pharaoh who brought peace to Egypt by conquering many warring tribes, king Akunumkanon. Below him are written the names of his children from his various wives, though tragically, only one child survived past his first birthday to have his name recorded on this genealogical chart. The name itself has been erased, but the carving of the cartouche is still there. Next to him is the name of the princess, and if you look at this name here," I pointed to Seth's name. "you can see that it is connected to both the Nameless Pharaoh, and the previous Pharaoh's brother, a man called Akunadin."

The rest of the class nodded, and Hiro Tanaka, though he looked skeptical, eventually nodded too. I then took them through to another room, the last one in the exhibit, and explained the articles there, most of them recovered from the ruins of the village of my birth. After the tour ended, the group dispersed and went their separate ways to study the various artifacts and treasures of the ancient past. One of the group stayed fairly close-by, though. Téa walked over to me and stood to my side, casually glancing at the artifacts in the room, trying to figure out the best way to start a conversation. I beat her to it, and grinned as I asked kindly, "What's on your mind, Ms. Gardner?"

Téa jumped a little in surprise, but she recovered quickly. "You seem to know a lot about this princess. The sister of the Nameless Pharaoh. Does anyone know what she looked like?"

I pretended to think for a minute, then answered, "No. Unfortunately, any and all depictions of her have been erased by time. We only know her name. I _can_ tell you that she was a powerful spellcaster, though. Not as powerful as the Guardians, I'm afraid, but strong enough."

Téa gasped quietly, studying me thoroughly. "How do _you_ know about the Millennium Guardians?"

"Even though most of the archaeological community has rejected Professor Hawkins' and Solomon Motou's findings, I actually found them to be quite accurate. The Shadow Games played a larger part in this world's history than most people would care to admit, or believe." I commented cryptically, cleverly avoiding Téa's question by providing other astounding information.

"I guess it's pretty clear that she was skilled with magic, if she used that Millennium Shield. I know my way around accessories, and I know that there is no way that anyone could make a shield that detailed back then without using some kind of spells."

"You're pretty observant." I commented, raising an eyebrow in pleasant surprise. "I never said that the princess made the shield."

"It was more the _way_ you talked about it, and your body language. You didn't actually _say_ it, that's true, but the unspoken hints were obvious." Téa shrugged, and I nodded in understanding. Apparently, I was going to have to be more careful with my unspoken communication as well.

"Hey, do you mind if I bring some of my friends back here tomorrow?" Téa asked after a minute. "They're all really into Egyptian history, the Nameless Pharaoh in particular. Do you think you could show them the same things you showed me?"

"Oh, normally I would jump at the chance to guide a private tour, but I have to work late at the hospital tomorrow, and I've got another expedition to Egypt right on it's heels. Rain check?" I asked, borrowing that modern phrase from my knowledge gained from Hanna's memories.

"Oh. I guess you're pretty busy. Well, maybe some other time then." Téa sighed, obviously disappointed, but hiding it very well. She then walked back to the lobby, waving a friendly goodbye as she left. I returned the unspoken farewell, then turned back to my clipboard. _You had some great friends in this time, little brother. Especially Téa. I'm really happy for you._

Just then, my cell phone buzzed in the pocket of my skirt, and I answered it on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Hana, get over to the hospital, STAT! It's an emergency!" the receptionist gasped into the phone, sounding like she was out of breath. I immediately snapped to 'Attack Mode', as my brother would have jokingly dubbed it, and answered, "Thanks, Sakura. I'm on my way."

* * *

The hospital was a flurry of mild chaos when I arrived. And the recent heat-wave didn't help matters. Papers were blowing everywhere from all the fans, and most of the lobby windows were open, unsuccessfully trying to tempt in a nonexistent breeze. A collapsible ambulance bed was standing in the center of the room, supporting an unconscious young man with a thick mane of white hair. _It can't be..._ I gasped to _ has a double in this time too? _Then I shook off my conflicting emotions, replacing them with calm determination. _He's hurt, and this is a hospital. No prejudices allowed._ I checked the boy's vitals, putting the thermometer under his armpit since the mouth route was unavailable. When I checked the reading, I nearly swore, catching myself at the last second. "Holey cheese, he's burning up! Sakura, get some ice packs and cold compresses. We gotta cool this kid down!" The receptionist nodded, and she ran to the freezer and grabbed an armload of bags, helping me pack them around his body.

"Where's all the rest of the staff?" I asked my friend as we put the ice bags and compresses around the boy. "Why are we the ones doing this, instead of the people who are _trained_ to do it?"

"Everyone else is busy. This kid isn't the only one who collapsed from heatstroke today. We happen to be the only available medical staff at the moment." Sakura explained, shrugging as she continued to pile ice bags. "That's also why he's out in the lobby. All the rooms are occupied."

While all this was happening, I used a gentle magical probe to see what the cause of this was, since I knew that heatstroke wasn't the only factor here. It couldn't be.

_He's in shock._ I ascertained as I magically scanned his biological functions. Everything appeared to be working as it should, though it was considerably weaker than normal. I frowned as the cause of the boy's mysterious condition eluded me, but then I realized that the damage could have been inflicted on the _spiritual_ plane.

Once I realized this, I altered my magical probe slightly so that it could detect the strength of the boy's soul. What I found caused me to stagger back a bit, gasping at the sight before me. _The energy of his soul is almost completely drained. No wonder he's in shock. I wonder if _that_ will work... Would it be possible to transfer some of my ba to him, without transferring my magical abilities as a yami with it? A yami-to-yami transfer is easy, but yami-to-hikari? I don't know..._

I shook my head violently, putting my apprehensions aside. If I didn't do something soon, then his soul would fade away completely, just like Karim in the ruins of Kul-Elna. _I can always take back my magic when he's strong enough. I won't let him die just because I'm scared. _With that, I took his left hand in mine, so Sakura couldn't see, and slowly transferred half my ba to the white-haired boy, remembering that his name was Ryou Bakura, unwilling hikari of Zorc for almost half his life, ever since he received the Millennium Ring.

After a minute, when the transfer had been completed, the rest of the staff at the hospital came into the lobby and wheeled Ryou into an empty ward, so he wouldn't have to be in the front room. As I watched the boy disappear around the corner, I considered the only other person that I knew with white hair, and how I had met her. The vessel of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kisara.

-Flashback-

"_**Akhen, could you please slow down? I can't keep up!" **_I asked politely, and the young man stopped in his tracks to wait for me. He'd only returned from the Shadow Realm a few days ago, but already his energy had been restored to its original strength, possibly even stronger. I smiled to myself. _I guess it was a good idea after all to send 'Silent Swordsman' to protect him. He's back to his old self already, and it hasn't even been a week since he woke up!_

Akhen nodded in greeting when I finally caught up, smiled, then walked beside me at a slower pace, matching my strides as we walked through the marketplace, looking at random stalls and admiring the various wares that the vendors were selling. Surprising me, Akhen actually walked up to a stall and bought two of the nicest-looking dates I'd ever seen and tossing one to me. I looked at him in confusion, but he just smiled, winked, then took a bite out of his snack. I did the same, and gasped when the sweet taste burst into my mouth.

"_**OOF!" **_came a deep voice from the alleyway just to the side of us. I looked over in that direction, and was surprised to see a girl with long white hair and the palest skin I'd ever seen incapacitate an attacker like it was nothing. She was breathing hard, as if she'd been running all day, and stooped over to catch her breath. She looked up, spotted us, and dusted off her dress. Akhen, who had seen what she could do, was staring at the young woman with his mouth open, half-eaten date sitting forgotten in his hand.

"_**Hello." **_I greeted cordially. The woman looked at me, and I continued. "_**Are you okay? That guy was twice your size!" **_I gasped in admiration, and she blushed.

"_**I am unhurt. Thank you for your concern." **_the girl answered, and Akhen finally closed his mouth, remembering that it was rude to stare.

"_**You're not from around here, are you?" **_I asked, and the girl shook her head. "_**I come from a faraway village. My name is Kisara. May I ask you yours?" **_she replied, looking at me and Akhen with polite curiosity.

"_**I'm Hana, and this is my best friend, Akhen. He rarely speaks, so I have to introduce him all the time." **_I explained, earning a withering look from my friend, to which I replied with a wink. He knew I was only teasing him.

"_**You have the same name as the adopted princess!" **_Kisara gasped, and I smiled sheepishly. "_**Well... about that..."**_

She caught on quickly. _**"Oh! My princess! What- what are you doing in the marketplace?" **_she asked before she thought about her words, then covered her mouth when she realized that she did not address me properly.

"_**Heh. It's okay." **_I laughed, shrugging off the lapse in protocol. _**"I kinda wanted to see how the people **__outside__** the palace live, if you know what I mean. Akhen is accompanying me as a guide. After all, he **__did__** grow up here."**_

"_**It is an honor to meet both of you." **_Kisara bowed again, and we both nodded. _**"I am afraid that I am in a bit of trouble though. I am looking for someone, but I cannot find him. Could you tell me how to get to the palace? I'm afraid I'm lost."**_

"_**Sure! Just take this next alley, and then turn left. You can't miss it." **_I directed kindly, smiling at her. _**"And I know how you feel. These streets can be confusing if you don't know your way. Lucky for **__**me, I've got a tour guide." **_I laughed, poking Akhen on the arm and giggling when he blushed. _**"We can come with you, if you'd like." **_I offered, but Kisara shook her head.

"_**I very much appreciate the offer, but I am in a hurry. I just have a bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen soon. I have to find him, and protect him as much as I am able. Thank you so much for your help." **_Kisara explained as she turned to the alley that I had pointed out. She looked back as she ran to the palace, waving and calling back,_** "Perhaps we will meet again someday!"**_

-End Flashback-

_I still can't believe that Kisara flipped that guy. He must've weighed at least 250 pounds!_ I laughed to myself as I was lost in the past. Then I shrugged. I had things to do here, in the twenty-first century. _I hope you feel better, Ryou. You're finally free._ I considered to myself, then I walked off to attend to the other patients that needed my help.

* * *

End of chapter 5

Next chapter teaser: Another Chance. (In other words, There ISN'T a next chapter! It continues with my very first story on here, 'Another Chance'. HA! Fooled ya!)

That story starts in the spring time, and this one ends at the end of March, so, there's a few weeks in-between.

I'm drawing on my own experiences for the 'nonexistent social life' of Itonami Hana. Going to school and coming home is pretty much all I get to do. XD

OUCH! That really looked like it hurt! (in my imagination) I'm kind of a klutz in real life, too, so it's entirely conceivable that something like that would happen.

Aww. Seth is so thoughtful. I didn't know he cared so much.

Hey! I meet Téa! She's nice. A little TOO observant maybe, but nice.

Okay, it's official. 'Holey Cheese' is now my favorite substitute for saying something I shouldn't. It's just so fun to say! "HOLEY CHEESE!"

Aww, poor Roo. Why is it always him?

Yeah, I made Kisara a master of self-defense. IMHO, she was WAY too helpless in the show. Now at least we get to see how strong she is. And I wanted to see Akhen one last time. So he's back in the flashback. Say 'Hi'!

*Akhen waves politely and smiles*

(BTW, that flashback occurs just before Kisara bumps into Seto Kaiba in the 'Memory World'.)

Maa al salama! (goodbye!)

Tsunami Storm/Hana Itonami


End file.
